Why “Here be Dragons”?

Back when maps were hand-drawn, cartographers would mark the edges of the known world with three simple words: Here be dragons. It was their way of saying, “We don’t know what’s beyond this point, but we know it could be dangerous.”

That phrase has always fascinated me. Not because of the dragons, but because of the honesty. It didn’t pretend the world was fully explored. It admitted there were things left to discover, and that those discoveries might not be easy.

Starting a business feels a lot like that. You’re standing at the edge of what you know, your career, your savings, your comfort zone, and looking into territory that’s uncertain. The dragons might be financial risks, self-doubt, or just figuring out how to keep things running day to day.

I’ve been there. After three decades in Information Technology, managing teams that kept everything running behind the scenes, I decided to explore something new. I became a career coach, helping others find their path to business ownership. And now, I’m working through the process of opening a second business, a gym. Getting the financing together has been its own adventure, full of surprises, delays, and small victories.

This isn’t about pretending entrepreneurship is easy. It’s about exploring the real challenges and the rewards of stepping into unknown territory. It’s about asking questions like:

• What happens when your plan doesn’t go as planned?
• How do you stay motivated when progress is slow?
• What do you do when fear or doubt shows up?

We’ll unpack all of that together, in plain English, with a little humor, and sometimes with a quick definition when a business term gets too fancy.

Because the truth is, the map doesn’t have to be finished before you start exploring. You just have to be willing to take the first step past the edge and see what’s out there.

Welcome to Here Be Dragons. Let’s explore the unknown, together.