Conquer the Chaos, 2nd Edition

11Keep Going

“The thing that makes all the difference, the thing that makes the difference between success and failure for entrepreneurs, is pure perseverance.”

—Steve Jobs

That quote by Steve Jobs says it perfectly. The grit of entrepreneurs is what makes all the difference between ultimate success and failure. At Keap, we love you entrepreneurs for your grit and determination. We love it so much we named the company after you. Keap stands for the grit and perseverance of entrepreneurs. As in “keep going.”

When I shared our founding story earlier in the book to illustrate small business chaos, I mentioned there were a couple of key experiences that turned the tide for us when we were struggling mightily. Let me share a very personal experience to underscore the point Steve Jobs is making about perseverance.

THE KEEP GOING STORY

The first three years of running Keap were brutally hard. About 18 months in, my co‐founders and I were taking home a couple grand per month, going deep into personal debt, and struggling to make ends meet. I wanted to quit, but the personal guarantees on our computers, equipment, and office leases meant I would have to make those monthly payments while leaving my two partners for a “real job” as they tried to make the business work.

I decided to stick it out. We began making progress as we built our CRM software to automate marketing for our customers, but we still couldn't pay our bills. The tension was rising at home, yet I had begun to recognize ...