Many years ago I had an assistant who used to say several times a day, "Life is so fragile." I don't think she knew how fragile my business life really was at the time. If she had known, she probably wouldn't have said it. And she probably would have found another job.

I was launching my first real business. I had just quit a good job to go into business for myself, and our entire savings of $6,000 was on the line. My financial life was certainly fragile. Every new day brought new worries, new challenges and new dangers. Making payroll was always nerve-wracking. Collecting accounts just in time to make deposits at the bank was frustrating. I had never bounced an employee's paycheck, but it wasn't always easy.

I remember one morning during that time when I went out and collected a $4,000 check from a company that had owed me the money for several months. After taking the check to the bank upon which it was written and exchanging it for a cashier's check, I came back to my office to find a letter from that same company informing me that they were declaring bankruptcy and would not be able to pay the $4,000 I was owed.

That night I spent time on my knees expressing gratitude for the blessing of being alive financially. If I had not collected that $4,000 precisely when I did, I never would have received it. And if I had not received that influx of cash, it's likely that my first venture would have gone bust. And if that first venture had gone bust . . . well, there wouldn't have been a second. That check, successfully obtained by the narrowest of margins, may have made the difference between being a successful entrepreneur and working for someone else for the rest of my life.

Not too long ago I visited a partner in one of my most recent business ventures. As I saw the founder of the business wrestle with the transition from the startup stage to the growth stage, I was reminded again of how fragile life really is at that time in the life of a business.

Don't get me wrong: It's a great company. Sales are at $1.25 million for the year. Cash flow is good. There is huge demand for the service this company provides. So what's wrong with this picture? How can the life of that business be considered fragile?

Simply because of the depth of the chasm that must be crossed during the next three months if this company is going to grow and flourish. At this stage of company growth, the owner is working 14-hour days. He is wearing more hats than the mad hatter in "Alice in Wonderland." He is entrepreneur, salesman, company president, customer service manager, operations manager, collection manager, scheduler and maybe another dozen jobs.

Unless one has been there, it is difficult to understand the temptation to just stop, reconsider the wisdom of going forward and retreat to the more comfortable status of a small, local company. Owners in this stage vividly remember when life was simpler. They repeatedly tell themselves it was easier when the business was smaller. Just the pressure of answering the phone, answering questions of the part-time bookkeeper, trying to get a new proposal in the mail, collecting the bills and dealing with new investors can push someone close to the edge.

What can help the entrepreneur cross over this chasm and move onward and upward?

There is no one, easy answer. A supportive spouse is part of it. An understanding staff also helps. Written lifetime goals can be a big help. Surely the will to succeed is paramount, and mentors are priceless at this stage. As one who has "been there, done that," I can tell you that business life at this critical, almost-impossible-to-breathe stage is indeed fragile. But hang in there, my friends. Life is going to get better once you cross the chasm. You just have to be tough.

Even though you're fragile.