(This article originally appeared on Forbes.)

If you were to take heed to the startup narrative depicted in the media and popular culture, you would think entrepreneurship is all fun and games. The entrepreneur’s journey has repeatedly been romanticized, glorified, and used as a vessel to tell the universal “feel good stories” of humanity – the “rags to riches” story, the “underdog that succeeds against all odds” story, and the like.

The truth is, most of these “feel good” stories about entrepreneurship are complete BS.

Startups are hard, and being an entrepreneur will often crush your soul. The real story of entrepreneurship is one of constant rejection, frayed relationships, inevitable betrayal, roller coasters of emotions, and a rocky process whereby “work” and “life” become one.

I have started nine companies now, and while most have been successful, some have not. Through the ups and downs and everything I have learned (and continue to learn), I can assure you the following statement is true:

As an entrepreneur, you will be screwed and you will be humbled. Over and over again.

When you’re first launching a company, you will be humbled almost hourly. It will take you 100 “no’s” to get a single “yes”, and seemingly nobody will want to talk to you. If you are able to push through it and build a successful company, you still get humbled, but just a little less often. No matter how successful you become, you will never stop being humbled as an entrepreneur because you will never stop learning. They are one in the same.

The moment you think you know everything as an entrepreneur, you have failed.

But then here’s the kicker. You will also get screwed. Unfortunately, for every entrepreneur that works hard and does things the right way, there are five more that do not. The slightest modicum of success will attract the liars and leeches. Your stuff will get copied and stolen, your name may be defamed, and people will chip away at your years of hard work like a nagging woodpecker that never rests.

I would go as far as to say that any entrepreneur that doesn’t have multiple people trying to copy or screw them probably hasn’t accomplished all that much.

That’s the glum reality of entrepreneurship, but it’s not all bad. Personally I wouldn’t trade it for anything, and there are legions of others out there that feel the same way. But its certainly not for everyone, and in my opinion most people get into entrepreneurship without understanding the herculean effort, dedication, and determination involved.

If you are just crazy enough to try and build something of your own, something that changes even just a little bit of the world out there, here are the two best pieces of advice I can give you to survive the journey:

1. Have a clear vision, and stick to it

I find a lot of confusion when it comes to the concept of “Company Vision”, because if you were to do a Google search there are many convoluted definitions out there. This is mostly due to the fact that in big companies, “vision” is more commonly a term used in HR, PR, and other forms corporate communication.

However, forming a clear vision for your startup is perhaps the most important early thing an entrepreneur can do. There are many definitions out there, but here is the simplest one I can give you:

A startup’s vision is their interpretation of what the world will look like in the future, and how their venture will be part of this future.

Your vision serves as the company’s “North Star”, and should guide each and every decision you make as a company. I repeat: your vision should guide each and every decision you make as a company. This is where most entrepreneurs go awry.

Your strategy to carry out your vision (your “mission”) may change, but your vision cannot. Is it possible that your vision is incorrect? Of course. In fact, it’s more than likely, because we can’t see the future. But that’s not the point.

Once you have established your vision, you have created your bullseye, and now it’s just a matter of figuring out how to execute and fire arrows to hit it. If you keep changing the location of the bullseye, your job of hitting it becomes much, much harder.

(This article originally appeared on Forbes.)

There are many problems that the “Brexit” causes across Europe, but with any tumultuous change, the weakest entities suffer the most. Who are the weakest in business by definition?

Startups are.

It is true that the long term ramifications of the Brexit on European startups, and European business in general, are unknown. There are many forthcoming trade deals and pacts that will ultimately determine that.

But when you run an early-stage startup, you are less interested in the long term, and more concerned about the next 6 to 24 months (a typical startup’s ”runway” of cash in the bank). The ramifications of the Brexit on this short-term timeframe are much, much clearer.

The “United” Kingdom just punched the European startup scene in the face. 

Here is what I expect to see from the European startup scene in the next 6-24 months, both good and bad.

1. European startup funding will fall off a cliff.

London is a key component of the European venture capital scene, comprising of approximately 50% of European startup funding (especially in the later stages). As a result of the Brexit, I believe that the amount of venture funding for all European startups will drop by 20% or greater by the end of the year.

Why?  I simply do not see how London VCs can continue “business as usual” until the regulatory implications of the Brexit are better understood.  This process will take a while, and it will also be highly publicized, causing increased angst. When the funding rate of London VCs slows down (particularly in the later stages), early stage VCs from all across Europe will be forced to slow down as well.

Raising funding in Europe just became much, much harder. 

2. Many entrepreneurs will leave.

When the uncertainty of the Brexit causes startup funding rates across Europe to decrease, experienced entrepreneurs that need to raise money within 6 to 24 months will choose to go to where the money is: Silicon Valley, New York, Singapore, etc.

This is very unfortunate, because I truly believe that great companies can be built anywhere. However, in times of distress, a startup founder needs to do everything in their power to “make payroll”, and if the money to stay solvent is not in Europe they might have no choice but to move.

In total, I would expect to see half of the top 5% of entrepreneurs leave the region within the next two years.

3. Incorporation in the UK will fall out of favor.

The United Kingdom has become one of the three most attractive global startup hubs to incorporate a business (along with Delaware and Singapore) due to three key advantages:

1. Favorable rule of law
2. Plentiful available capital
3. Market access to the entirety of Europe

However, after the Brexit, two of the three advantages (available capital and market access) are now gone for at least the next 6-24 months. Plus, the rule of law may be changing, too.

The rate of companies incorporating in the UK will nosedive, and in my opinion, no startup should incorporate in the UK in the near term.

So What is the Good News?

Startups have a lot of problems as it is, so adding uncertainty in their sources of capital is never a great idea. However, there are two positives that will come out of the Brexit in the short-term.

First, if London is out, then there is an opportunity for another city to become to the center of the Euro startup scene. This will cause many governments, and possibly even the EU as a whole, to step up their game with regards to startups and small businesses.

Side note: There are many candidates who can seize this opportunity, but to me, Berlin is best positioned to become the undisputed tech hub of Europe. Cheaper and more centrally located than London, and with a relatively favorable rule of law, I believe that billions of dollars that once populated UK venture capital funds will gradually move over to German funds, and the German efficiency will be put to work.

The second benefit is that being born in hard times makes young companies hungrier, leaner, and more efficient. Many of the defining tech companies of our generation were formed in times when startup funding was not as readily available as it is today.

With less capital to grow headcount and attack new markets, European startups have an opportunity to focus more on things core to their business – like refining their product, delighting their customers, and developing profitable revenue streams.

This will lead to the formation of more enduring and cash-flow positive businesses.

Plus, it might be their only choice.