How far are you willing to go?

I love thinking about the future. As a young entrepreneur it's exciting to think about where I'll be six months from now, a year from now, and five years from now. I have no doubt that my ventures will be successful five years from now if I'm able to persevere.

I say if I'm able to persevere because it's stressful to think about what I'm going to do for money while my businesses grow. I constantly hear of stories of successful entrepreneurs who run up thousands of dollars of credit card debt, sell their houses, and borrow insane amounts of money from family members. They really are willing to do whatever it takes.

I haven't been pushed that far yet, but I know the possibility exists that I will be. It can get a whole lot worse before it gets better. I think about my answers to the following questions ALL THE TIME and I bet you do too:

• Am I willing to cash in my 401K (the whole 1 years worth that I have)?


• Am I willing to sell my car and other possessions?


• Am I willing to beg every family member I have for money?


• If push come to shove, would I sell , SportsLizard.com to fund iPrioritize?


• If I had a girlfriend, and she asked me whether she or the business was more important, would I answer the business (I'd probably find some way to weasel out of the question by saying something like 'it's like comparing apples to oranges, you're both important' and then change the topic as fast as possible)?


• Would I run up tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt?


• Would I *gasp* get a part time job to help fund my business (isn't this ironic that I think of this after I think of running up credit card debt...that's how much I don't want to get a job)?


• Am I willing to go five years without a vacation?


• Am I willing to work three days straight without sleep to meet a deadline?


• Essentially, to sum up, am I really willing to do whatever it takes???

As crazy as a lot of those things sound, you and I might need to do them to succeed. Certainly many entrepreneurs before us have done all of that and more. Whether or not you ever get pushed that far, I think it's important to feel that you are willing to go that far if need be. Just food for thought.