Nothing beats victory.

Ask anyone who’s survived an audit, a marathon, a harrowing escape—or that fiery landing on an occupied beachhead.

But knowing there’s a finish line doesn’t dull the pain of running those last miles.

Sure, we can see the fight coming, and know that it’s good for us. We can understand that by charging into that inmost cave, we’ll emerge tested, strengthened, and shaped for greater battles.

But what happens when the fight keeps going… sapping our strength with no sign of stopping?

What happens when we’re standing right on the edge, staring down at a hidden abyss?

And what if finishing off those monsters takes longer than we thought it would?

We shouldn’t be surprised.

As much as we’d like them to, things like growth, pain, and belief-shattering transformation can’t be penciled into our schedules. Monsters in the cave never parlay… they make their own schedule.

But we can understand the story that we’re in.

We can acknowledge the low point that we, and everyone, eventually faces. We can buckle up for the all is lost moment, the time when rain thunders down like Niagara Falls.

And if we want to, we can grow from it.

Our Fears Aren’t What We Think

What’s the deepest fear of the entrepreneur?

It’s actually not bankruptcy, lawsuits or even failure—all fears to be reckoned with.

Beneath them all, it’s loss of meaning. It’s the stomach punch to our ego, our confidence, our reasons for getting up and starting something in the first place.

Highbrow screenwriters call it the ‘whiff of death,’ or ‘the ordeal at the hidden abyss.’ Boiled down, it’s the fear of losing that which gives life, and any journey, significant meaning.

The ordeal is all the more scary because it’s inevitable. In some form or another, all of us face it.

But just like every step of the journey, from answering the call to stepping into the innermost cave, facing the ordeal is an essential step—but not the last one.

Not by a long shot.

Why We Want the Ordeal

In every good story the hero appears to die—only to cheat death, and get the full treatment of being reborn, transformed, and empowered in ways never thought possible.

As frightening as it is, stepping up to the abyss is the only way to live your true life, not the one you’ve been programmed for. Just like the allied soldiers huddled on the landing craft understood, the only way out is through.

While we love to see heroes face the ordeal and emerge victorious… It’s a different story when it’s our turn to step up.

Except that it isn’t.

Deep down, the stories we watch are our stories. Why else would we watch them?

On some level, we want the journey—even the parts of it that terrify us. With a little honesty, we can see the ordeal at the abyss as our own halfway point, a critical moment from which nothing will ever be the same.

You might know what it feels like. Hell, most of us have probably faced it head-on, the last few years.

But this is apparently what we do—put ourselves through tests to figure out what we’re made of… to follow what we sense and think rather than what we’re told.

This is why we start a business, race a car, run 100 miles in a row.

Go big or go home. right?

Without fail, it leads to the cave, right to that ordeal we’d rather not touch with a ten foot pole. At the end of the day, we see that a little ego death is what we need….to kill off that part of us that needs a killin.’

Victory Means Some Ugly Along the Way…

We’re not afraid of it.

So when we say ‘entrepreneurial success’, it’s all included—the whole journey, front to back. The good, the bad and the ugly.

Dare Capital has been down that road. And trust us, we have seen some things…

There was that one time, back at far west band camp… well… let’s just say, we are acquainted with the concept of risk.

Oops. Well… that’s a blog for another day.

So we know that the ordeal is real. It shows us that average, everyday people are more than they “believe”.

We all get it, but if we think the story is about someone else, then we’re dead wrong.

It ain’t. It’s about all of us… even if most folks just prefer to watch it on T.V.

What we, at Dare Capital do, is facilitate those who are on the path—those who woke up somewhere and said… ‘Let’s go! Let’s roll!’

It’s why we root for Luke Skywalker as he turns off his targeting equipment (old ways) —and embraces a new way “The Force” to blow up the death star. Boom.

See what you need to and move on. But know that when we are with you, we will root for you too.

We won’t kick you out when the time comes. We will ask some hard questions, and hey—maybe we’ll all make some money and emerge better. One way or another, life will continue and we’ll get a new chance to walk that path.

If you want to do business with a lender that roots for you… and doesn’t walk when you’re facing the abyss, then give us a call.

We welcome life (whatever it brings).

“Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth.” -KATHERINE MANSFIELD