Starting a business can be an exhilarating venture but more often than not the road to success is paved with trials that make one stop and think, “Wow, I wish I knew that before I got started.”

Having helped grow a small craft beer company that started out as a home brewing hobby by two firefighters into a successful, multi-million dollar brand, I have learned many valuable lessons about launching a business from scratch.

To help you navigate the bumpy road of entrepreneurship, I’d like to share eight insights from my experience along the journey.

Everyone has heard of the old phrase “Ready, Aim, Fire!” but too many entrepreneurs never move from aiming to firing. Some things you’ll just have to figure out as you go along, but the key thing is to keep moving forward. If you wait until everything is perfect before getting started, you’ll spin your tires in the mud while someone else passes you by. You can fix mistakes; you can’t go back in time and start earlier.

Here’s a general rule for projecting costs, revenues, and the quest to break even: it will take twice as much time and twice as much money as the eternally optimistic entrepreneur thinks it should. It’s okay to be aggressive and think positively; you wouldn’t be an entrepreneur if you didn’t have that mindset. However, it is important to plan for success even if you’re not firing on all cylinders right out of the gate. There’s no harm in under-promising and over-delivering.

We’ve all heard the stories about companies that received an eight-figure venture capital investment based off a sketch on the back of a cocktail napkin. The truth is that the stories of entrepreneurs sleeping on friends’ couches and subsisting on Top Ramen are far more common. Most have to scratch and claw for every dollar they raise. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t find the fabled VC unicorn right away; persistence will pay off in the long run.

Every angel investment group I have ever pitched has been littered with service providers. Yes, some of them may actually be accredited investors, but they aren’t there to make an investment in your company; they are there to drum up business for themselves. I can assure you that you don’t need a global law or CPA firm with hundreds of employees, a wealth manager, or $10 million in life insurance coverage as a single, twenty-something entrepreneur who still hasn’t raised their seed capital. Your time is precious; use it wisely meeting with the right people.