"The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs...one step at a time." ~Joe Girard
As a community, I think entrepreneurs have gotten more knowledeable over the years. We know the difference between pre-money and post-money valuations. We've read "The Lean Startup". We've dug into the details of SaaS economics.
Despite all of this education, one thing remains relatively unchanged: The number of entrepreneurs that think that if they just have the right idea and turn into the right product, they will be skyrocketed to success like Facebook, Instagram or Dropbox. For some reason, this magical leap to success is a persistent delusion.
The reality is far from this. Even the super-successful startups that we all know and love did not get that way easily. Behind every major success story, there is usually a major effort. It's not enough to be just smart and passionate. There's real work involved. And though you may jump and skip a step here or there, for most of the time that you build your startup, you'll be doing it one step at a time. Take comfort in the knowledge that others are doing the same thing.
