Let’s admit that starting a company is really hard. It takes a lot of grinding. For those you who aren’t sure what the startup grind is, it is the epitome of the definition of grind: Dull, hard work; A crushing or grating sound or motion; or To wear down, polish or sharpen through friction. You see, creating a company from nothing takes hard work. It’s the kind of hard work that on the one hand is dull, but on the other hand is exciting because you know you are creating something from nothing. But it also encounters a lot of friction and it can be soul crushing. Doing the thousands of small, annoying tasks that move a company forward is just plain hard and painful. But, the best startups founders have to persevere through these struggles to move the ball forward. If they don’t, the ball just sits there. And of course, we all want to work smarter rather than harder. But, it takes PEP – Passion, Experience and Persistence. But, how do founders persist in the face of these challenges?