What Nobody Tells You About Entrepreneurship: An A-Z Survival Guide
For this year’s update of the Italian ecosystem map I indulge myself with a different creative exercise. Entrepreneurship is often painted as a grand adventure, glamorous, exciting, even noble. But anyone who has walked this path knows it’s a grind. It’s chaos. It’s a series of small battles, most of which you fight in your own head, and let’s face it: most of them you’d think you ll lose.. The real game isn’t just about strategy, funding, or execution it’s about understanding yourself, managing your demons, and learning to play the long game.
I’ve often found that when I’m stuck, whether in business or in life, it helps to break things down into simple terms. So I started writing this alphabet, letter by letter, to see where it took me. If nothing else, it proves a point: when in doubt, just start. Here’s my personal take on the entrepreneurial journey, one letter at a time.
A is for… Ah, this is the toughest one.
So many things start with A—Assholes, Aspiration, Addiction, Ambition, Alfa. I couldn’t decide. So what did I do? I just started writing. Not to be profound, not to be perfect, but just to get moving.
The trick to breaking writer’s block—or any block—is momentum. If you start, things will fall into place. If you’re reading this, it means I either liked it so much that I left it as is, or I simply never settled on one word. Your choice.
B is for Baggage.
You are what you are. You are what life made you.
My childhood was rough, and things weren’t always easy at home. As a teenager, I hated my family—most do. But as an adult, I thank them (almost) every day. Every scar, every fight, every hard lesson—that was my training ground.
Baggage isn’t just weight; it’s fuel. Learn how to carry it.
Every entrepreneur I admire has a story—a defining hardship that shaped them. It could be failure, rejection, poverty, or even trauma. But the best ones don’t let their past define them; they leverage it. They turn pain into wisdom, fear into fire.
You don’t need a clean slate to start. You just need to accept where you come from and make peace with it.
C is for Clients.
Clients should actually start with A—because that’s where everything begins.No clients, no business. It’s that simple.
You may have the best product, the most brilliant idea, the most revolutionary service. But if nobody wants it? You’re just talking to yourself. Learn to listen before you speak.
A common trap new entrepreneurs fall into? Building for themselves. They focus on what they want to make instead of what people need. Your ego doesn’t pay the bills. Your customers do.
The sooner you stop thinking about your vision and start thinking about their problems, the sooner you’ll build something that matters.
D is for Dopamine.
I’m reading Dopamine Nation. Turns out, dopamine is what makes us chase things—whether it’s looking good in front of the ladies, proving a point to someone who doubted us, or reliving the ghosts of our past. It’s where the drive starts.
But here’s the twist: real success isn’t just about the chase. It’s about rewiring that addiction toward things that actually matter—like solving real problems for real clients.
We’re wired for short-term rewards. Quick wins, social validation, that rush of achievement. But business—real business—is about playing the long game. It’s about resisting the dopamine hit of easy distractions and staying focused on what truly moves the needle. The best entrepreneurs aren’t just chasing highs; they’re building something that lasts.
E is for Empathy.
I talk about empathy a lot. And for good reason.
Business is human. If you can’t understand people—what they feel, what they fear, what they need—you won’t get far.Your product, your service, your pitch—it all exists to solve someone’s problem. If you can’t feel their pain, you can’t fix it.
But empathy isn’t just about being “nice.” It’s a strategy. It’s knowing your audience so well that you anticipate their needs before they even voice them.It’s the difference between a business that just sells and a business that connects.
And in the long run? Connection always wins.
F is for Finish Line.
When I was in military school, I was struggling with everything. Missing home, flunking exams, feeling los, then one day, my father told me something I never forgot:
“Don’t worry, Thoroughbreds are recognized at the finish line.”
(Andrea, i cavalli di razza si vedono all’arrivo.)
It doesn’t matter how messy the middle is. It doesn’t matter how many times you trip along the way. What matters is crossing that damn line.
Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. The middle will always be ugly. There will be doubts, failures, pivots, moments when you want to quit. But the only thing that truly matters?
Whether you keep going. The ones who win aren’t necessarily the smartest or the most talented They’re the ones who refuse to stop.
This is just the first part of the alphabet.
And just like in business, I don’t know exactly where the next letters will take me.
But one thing is for sure—there’s always more to explore.
Let’s keep going.
If you’d like to see the Italian Ecosystem map in high resolution, signup for our Monthly newsletter.
