Before diving in, let me frame this with my own experience.
When I started my concrete raising business, I had zero background in the industry. My previous 24-year career was in environmental remediation—an entirely different world. On day one, I was literally learning how to raise concrete.
I didn’t have investors or a big cash cushion, either. The business had to become profitable fast because my bills weren’t waiting for success.
Your story might look different. Maybe you’re already skilled in your trade or have capital to fall back on. But if your situation is anything like mine—starting from scratch—here’s the unfiltered reality of what you’re walking into.
The Entrepreneur Fantasy vs. Reality
You’ve seen the Instagram posts: entrepreneurs lounging on a beach, laptop in one hand, margarita in the other, claiming to “work when they want.” Let’s be clear—that’s mostly fiction.
There is freedom in owning your business, but it lives on the far side of years of grind—past the coffee-stained invoices, sleepless nights, and desperate YouTube tutorials at 2 a.m.
In the beginning, you’re everything.
And I mean everything.
One minute you’re solving a customer’s emergency; the next you’re Googling “how to use QuickBooks without losing my mind.” You’ll be the technician, salesperson, scheduler, accountant, receptionist, and the social-media manager whose only experience was liking dog videos on TikTok.
Glamorous? Not even close. But here’s the upside: when you’ve done every job yourself, you’ll know exactly what kind of people to hire later—and how to train them so you never have to do those things again.
Say Goodbye to the 40-Hour Workweek
Yes, you can “set your own schedule.” But that usually means you decide which nights, weekends, and holidays you’ll give up first.
At first, 60- to 80-hour weeks are normal. Your business becomes your second full-time job—right after your first full-time job of managing life. Sleep becomes optional. Coffee becomes fuel.
The good news? This phase doesn’t last forever. It’s just the rite of passage that filters out the people who talk about starting a business from those who actually build one. Push through it—it gets better.
Your Money Isn’t Yours (Yet)
You land your first big job and think, “Finally! I made it.”Then reality hits: that money disappears faster than you can cash the check.
There are tools to buy, software to pay for, insurance premiums, advertising costs, maintenance bills, and payroll—if you’re lucky enough to have help.
At first, paying yourself might mean cold pizza and promises of “next month.” Don’t panic—that’s normal. It’s temporary.
As your systems improve and your workload stabilizes, profit finally starts sticking around. But in the early days, expect every dollar to have a job—and it probably won’t be paying you yet.
Hang In There—Efficiency Changes Everything
In the service world, mistakes cost money—sometimes a lot of it. Early on, you’ll move slower than your competition, and that’s okay.
Until you gain experience, the only way to avoid costly errors is to slow down and do it right.
Don’t expect massive profits when you’re still learning the ropes.
The key is patience and persistence.
Eventually, your systems tighten up. You train your crew. You streamline your processes. The work that once felt like chaos starts running smoothly. That’s when everything changes—you stop reacting and start planning.
You move from working in your business to running your business. And for the first time, freedom doesn’t sound like a fairy tale.
Your Employees Won’t Care Like You Do—And That’s Okay
Here’s one of the hardest lessons: no one will care about your business as much as you do.
Expecting your employees to stay up all night worrying about the company is like expecting your friends to obsess over your kid’s first tooth. It’s your baby, not theirs.
That doesn’t mean they don’t care—it just means they don’t feel the same ownership.
Your job isn’t to make them care like you. It’s to build a culture where they take pride in doing good work, feel valued, and know exactly what’s expected.
If you can do that, you’ll create a team that performs consistently—even if they don’t dream about the business 24/7 like you do.
Emotional Whiplash Is Totally Normal
Some mornings you’ll wake up convinced you’re building an empire.
By afternoon, you’ll be wondering if stress-eating a family-sized bag of chips counts as a business expense.
That’s normal. The emotional rollercoaster is part of the deal.
One day you’ll land a huge job and feel unstoppable. The next, a customer cancels and you’ll start questioning every decision you’ve made.
That doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means you’re doing something real. Get used to the ups and downs, because persistence is what separates survivors from quitters.
Wrapping It Up: Reality Check (With a Twist)
Starting a service business can be one of the best decisions of your life—but it’s also one of the hardest things you’ll ever do.
Go in with your eyes open. Expect challenges. Expect long hours and slow progress. But also expect incredible growth—both personally and professionally.
If you stay tough, keep learning, and push through the rough parts, you’ll eventually earn that freedom everyone talks about.
And sure, you could work from the beach someday… but let’s be honest—sand gets everywhere, Wi-Fi is terrible, and margaritas don’t mix well with laptops anyway.
