You know how they say that having a business is like having a baby? I can confirm… it’s totally true.

Two months ago, Tara and I welcomed a baby boy into the world! His name is Ray.

Before Ray, I knew NOTHING about babies. As in, I had literally held one ONCE in my entire life!

But he still came along, despite my lack of preparation. And now, two months later, I actually feel pretty confident dealing with babies (2-month-old ones, at least!).

It’s the same with business. I’m so glad I jumped in and started before I felt fully prepared.

With Ray, we notice and praise every tiny little improvement. Recently, he stood up (with me supporting him) for a couple of seconds. We exclaimed “Good boy!” and acted like he had just summited Mount Everest!

Shouldn’t it be the same in business? For some reason, when my first business didn’t make much money after the first year, I was disappointed. I wanted it to look like other people’s businesses that had taken years to mature.

I don’t expect Ray to make ANY money for 5 years, at least! And certainly not significant money until he’s well into his teens.

Now I’m not saying that you need to wait 5 years before seeing success in your business. But I am saying that you need to be patient, and allow time for your business to grow.

Be willing to praise every little thing that improves, and always expect it to get better.

Your idea may have legs, but will still sit around for awhile. Eventually, it will crawl, then walk, then run. Maybe it will even eat you out of house and home in the meantime! (Ray is already a BIG eater)

And finally, with enough constant care, some day it can mature into a success that you can be proud of (and yes, one that can make significant money too).