In the beginning of any endeavor a lot of activity is going on behind the scenes.  There is a lot of activity, and often, a lot of money goes out the door.  You are spending hours working on things that will lay the foundation for future success.  It can be an exciting time. 

On the other hand, it is also the time when friends, family and outsiders will see a ton of movement with no initial pay-off.  They will see you spending a ton of time on your “project” with no reward.  You are probably not getting paid (or at least not much).  You are not gaining attention yet.  From the outside world’s perspective, you are wasting a lot of time.

And some of them will tell you so.

Don’t get me wrong.  Many of these folks are well-intentioned.  Some of them just want to see you more.  But make no mistake, they don’t get it.

Not every project will work.  There will be times that you spend a lot of time and energy on something that fails.  But nothing really cool was ever created without laying the proper foundation first. 

So relish in the early times.  Continue the hustle.  The long term rewards will be plentiful.