The most important characteristic you need to do anything risky

I have had my fair share of screw ups, failures, dark days and intense nights throughout my entrepreneurial career. I know from experience that there are very few things that get you through the tough times. What does it take to survive entrepreneurship or take the road less traveled?

You don’t need more funding.

You don’t need to have the most unique idea in the world.

You don’t need to have an NDA template for people to sign.

You don’t need to work longer hours than anyone else.

You don’t even need a business plan.

The single most important characteristic that you need when doing anything risky or against the socially-accepted grain is:

Resilience.

When you take the leap and do something risky you are absolutely going to get knocked down, sometimes daily. You’re going to lose money. You’re going to lose staff. You’re going to rewrite your business plan (if you ever wrote on in the first place). You’re going to change strategy, pivot and switch direction. You may lose cofounders and have to pay investors back. Then even when you succeed you will likely be hit with a few failures very quickly.