How long will your business exist? How profitable will your business be? Will customers like your product or service? Will you be able to give yourself a steady paycheck? None of these questions has a solid, reliable answer, even in startups based on great ideas with all the resources they’d theoretically need. That unknown factor means your job stability is going to plummet, and many of your long-term plans will remain in flux as new developments emerge. Dealing with this volatility is one of the hardest parts of emerging as a new entrepreneur.

In a new venture the business owner should not expect to make any money in the first year. Be aware of the lack of capital, and plan accordingly. I have seen many an aspiring entrepreneur fail because of under whelming performance and deficient sales. Prepare in advance for these scenarios, and you can brave the storms. At the end of a cloudy sea there is always a bright sky!