Most overlooked challenges of growing a startup

Most entrepreneurs (and me) tend to overlook these things until they try to do them:

• How hard customer acquisition is – (“we’ll build it and they will come”)
• How unattractive an employer you are to the population of highly talented and experienced workers and how badly the odds are stacked against you in the workforce marketplace
• How long it takes to raise capital
• How draining the emotional rollercoaster is
• How hard it is to identify and anticipate a real, pressing market need

For some of these, you need a good plan, for others, experience and fortitude.