How Starting a Business is Like the Rip Ride Rockit™.

Have you ever been to Universal Studios in Orlando? There’s a roller coaster there called the Rip Ride Rockit™. It’s huge, clearly visible from everywhere and seems to have an endless line. When you step into that line, you know there’s a small chance that you may have to climb down a ladder to free yourself. Nevertheless, you’ll likely wait in line for an hour and a half to have turn. The last 10 minutes, the line moves more quickly. Every minute that passes, you realize it’s going to be harder to extract yourself and maintain your dignity. For the last 5 minutes, you a brainstorm plausible excuses to back out. You furtively glance at every rider getting on and off as mental “before and after” to see if they are tougher/ more resilient/different than you. Suddenly you have a choice: you can chicken out after an 1.5 hours of your life spent in very close contact with 200 other sweaty adults. ..Or you can gulp and decide to add yourself to the list of “survivors.”

But it’s in the next minute after you fasten that harness, that your sense of panic truly rises. Click-click-Click as the giant chair goes up the vertical incline. Each click you think - “HOLY CRAP! Should I scream and then climb down that scary ladder?!?”

But with each click, you ascend 11 feet, and before you know it you are breaching the 17 story apex of the first hill. For most folks, the rest is fun (but some pass out, barf or soil themselves). Even if you are the person that barfs or passes out along the way, you did it! The anticipation and the ascent that make the first part that much more formidable.

You made the big decision - to take the seat and buckle. The hard part is over. Most of the other riders are also considering the risk/benefit ratio of descending the freaky ladder xx feet tall at the same time. Although they may be a few ounces lighter, most riders are smiling at the end.

Expert Tip: pick a thumping song. It makes you feel like a badass for the action-pic.