Joe Altieri is the Inventor and CEO of FlexScreen, a cutting-edge, multi-million dollar company revolutionizing the window industry.
I remember the first time I questioned my sanity as an entrepreneur. It wasn’t some dramatic, rock-bottom moment like you see in the movies. No violins playing in the background. No slow-motion montage of me staring at bills piling up on the kitchen table. No. It was a Tuesday afternoon. Middle of the day. Middle of the week. Middle of nowhere emotionally.
I had just finished another call with a potential client who “loved” the product but wasn’t ready to commit. I hung up, stared out the window and asked myself the question every entrepreneur or business leader faces at some point: Is this really worth it?
If you’ve never had that moment, congratulations, you’re lucky. Or you’re a robot who’s been in business for 15 minutes. For the rest of us, that moment hits hard. And if you’re like me, it doesn’t just hit once. It creeps in every time the workload piles up, the cash flow tightens or someone you trust lets you down.
But here’s the thing I’ve learned through every one of those moments: It’s worth it.
It’s not “worth it” like a happy Hollywood ending where everything works out perfectly. It is truly worth it—in a way that transforms not just your business, but you as a person.
The Invisible Price Tag
They don’t tell you about the price tag when you sign up to be a leader. Sure, they’ll talk about risk and reward, hard work and hustle. But no one tells you about the mental toll of constantly questioning yourself. No one mentions the sleepless nights of anxiously replaying every decision and every conversation in your head.
The sacrifices are real:
• Time away from your family (and the guilt that comes with it).
• Missed moments you can never get back.
• The weight of responsibility—not just for your own livelihood but for your team, your customers and sometimes even your industry.
These are the things that don’t show up on a balance sheet but can bankrupt your spirit if you’re not careful. But here’s where most people get it wrong. They think those sacrifices are the cost of success. I see it differently. I think they’re the investment.
Success Isn’t Free, But It’s Priceless
Here’s a harsh truth no one wants to admit: You will have to sacrifice something. Time, comfort, certainty, pride—you’ll most likely have to give up all of it at different points in your journey. But there is good news. If you’re smart, intentional and maybe just a little stubborn, those sacrifices start to pay dividends.
Every sleepless night? It’s sharpening your decision-making skills. Every setback? It’s making you more resilient. Every sacrifice? It’s setting the foundation for something bigger.
You don’t just become successful by reaching the goal. You become successful by becoming someone who can handle the weight of the goal. That’s why it’s worth it. Not because of the money (but let’s be honest, money is nice). It’s worth it because of who you become in the process.
Don’t Quit On The Hard Days
If you’re in the middle of it right now, if you’re wondering if all the missed dinners and unpaid invoices are worth it, I want you to hear this clearly: Don’t quit on a hard day.
It’s easy to make bad decisions when you’re tired, frustrated and stuck in your own head. But that’s like deciding to sell your house in the middle of a huge renovation project. When frustration and tensions are high, it’s not the time to make high-impact choices.
Instead, give yourself permission to feel it. Get mad. Get sad. Punch a pillow if you have to. But don’t quit. Get through the hard part, wait until the temperature cools and you’ll see things differently.
Remembering Your ‘Why’
It’s not just a catchy buzzword. Your “why” is the compass that points you north when the fog rolls in. Your “why” is that gut-level reason you started this whole journey in the first place.
Maybe it’s freedom. Maybe it’s legacy. Maybe it’s just to prove you could do it.
Whatever it is, you better get crystal clear on it. Write it down. Tape it to your mirror. Say it out loud if you have to because there will come a day when your “why” feels blurry. And if you’re not clear about it, that’s when doubt wins.
The Payoff No One Sees
Often, when the sacrifices start paying off, no one else sees it. People will see the highlight reel—the big wins, the moments that look great on social media. What they won’t see is the work, the grit, the days you kept going when every instinct told you to stop.
But that’s okay. You’ll know.
You’ll know because you’ll be sitting there, looking at your business, your life or maybe just your family around the dinner table, and you’ll feel it deep in your chest. You’ll realize this is what you fought for, this is what you built.
And in that moment, when the noise dies down and the weight lifts just a little, you’ll answer the question that every entrepreneur or business leader asks at some point:
“Was it worth it?”
And you’ll smile, maybe even laugh a little at how unsure you were, because you’ll finally know the answer.
Yes. It was worth it. It’s always been worth it.
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