The following was written by a good friend -- it is good advice (author to remain nameless).
What makes entrepreneurs special and successful is how they navigate tough situations. It’s the hidden “barrier to entry” for many start-ups and entrepreneurs: not everyone has what it takes to take the real risks necessary to be innovative in building a company (risking your investors’ money, risking your income, risking pissing people off, risking other people’s livelihoods (ie, your staff, etc)).
You have to have the “huevos”
to be able to wade into the tough moments with just the right BALANCE of strength
and humility, courage without cockiness….and most importantly
vision. Vision is what allows you to realize that you cannot build any
business when you are beholden to third parties (your company and your
customers being the first two parties) – in other words, if an agency
could/would be able to prevent its contributors from using your product (by
preventing your access), then you never had the right strategy/vision in the
first place. Take strength and comfort from that last sentence, and let
it guide your emotions – you will be successful so these kinds of moments
are like “tests” of the strategy. Kind of confusing, but hopefully, you
know what I mean.
I had many moments like this at my previous company – and I always got through the “steel underwear” moments just fine by being honest, transparent, enthusiastic, humble and strong all at the same time.
