This post, by Sean Platt, originally appeared on his Writer Dad site on 8/1/11.
Were you ever the only person who really believed in you or saw where you wanted to go?
Three years ago, that was me.
Everyone thought I was crazy.
The parents at the preschool Cindy and I were running, friends, family, our accountant, and anyone who opened their ears to the dream. Even most of the people who said, “Go for it!” weren’t so sure.
It was easy to see the Is he nucking futs?!? behind their eyes.
Fortunately, there was one person who believed above and beyond reason. My wife, Cindy.
Cindy is the one who handed me the pen, then urged me to keep it moving. Despite the odds, despite the detractors. Despite my own occasional doubt, Cindy always had faith.
We knew things would get bad.
And they did.
Worse than we expected. But we also knew they’d improve. And they have. Better than we hoped.
We would find our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but we’d have to slog through endless buckets of rain before there was enough to hit the sun and color our sky.
I always knew there had to be something more than running a flower shop or a preschool. While those businesses were successful, it was growing harder and harder to make a living. And I wasn’t really doing what I wanted.
My inner entrepreneur longed for the Internet’s unlimited possibility. Though I’m a writer, I’ve always been a businessman first. The potential results of well-placed words and smart strategies are far beyond anything I could imagine with a brick-and-mortar business.
My ideas are now my best asset, each a new seed with the potential to grow profit.
I had to become a better thinker.
Read the rest of the post on Sean Platt‘s Writer Dad.