I’ve gone back and forth on writing this post. First, I should apologize about the profanity in the title.

Wait, no I shouldn’t.

Entrepreneurs are the most hopeful people on the planet. They all start something with the hope that it will be “the next Facebook” or will be as important as Netscape, or maybe will become a billion dollar company with minimal social value like Groupon.

We believe in ourselves so much, that when someone else doesn’t believe in us, we are flabbergasted.

So entrepreneurs apologize. They apologize for broken code; they apologize for bad UI; they apologize for getting funded (or not). They apologize for screwing users (accidentally) and then for being slow to correct it.

Stop apologizing; start being honest.

We color numbers, and listen to investors way too much.

Entrepreneurs are pussies.

Its the same with products and features. Time and time again, I will talk with an entrepreneur about his product, and he will continue to extoll how awesome a feature or product is.

“How many people are using it?”

“Well, we are in beta, so not many, but its going to be huge!”

“You’ve been in beta for a year. How many people are using it?”

“Have you seen how well designed it is! Apple will totally feature our app because of its design!”

“Stop being a pussy. Kill the stupid feature.”

We hang on to things too long, we continue to employ folks that add no value, or worse are roadblocks because we don’t want to fire someone who has done so much for the company.

Entrepreneurs confuse activity for achievement. Working hard is not working well. We drink tons of Red Bull, stay up late, write missives on our blogs (wait…I resemble that remark!) or develop a cool side project that kinda is something that we might use at some point in the future.

Just stop it.

Its your company. Its your time, and future, and blood, sweat and tears. Its time for you, as an entrepreneur to stop apologizing for the short comings of your product (which may appear as shit taking about other startups. Yeah, I know, and you know that your “critique” of other startups is only a defensive mechanism to make you feel better about your companies short comings.)

Own it. Your company is your company. Not your investors, or friends, or users or Techcrunch’s.

Own your decisions. They are your’s to make. Make them and live with the consequences.

Own your future. Find what makes your business tick and focus on that and only that. Everything else is distraction.

And, most importantly, stop being a pussy.