One of the main things that new entrepreneurs ask of their more experienced peers is how long it will take before they start seeing success. This kind of question depends on far too many factors to get a definitive answer. Before even trying to quantitate a timeframe, the individual’s definition of success must be explored.

What is success to the entrepreneur?

Many people launching a new business run into failure more frequently and sooner than they find success. The only true failure is giving up, but it still doesn’t feel very good when you are losing money and getting poor results from new ideas or marketing avenues.

For many, success has a dollar sign in front of it. Perhaps the entrepreneur is aiming for a certain monthly income or a certain overall profit from sales. Other measures include industry reach, size of their platform or number of customers or clients.

First define what success means to you if you want to know how long it will take to get there.

What determines how long it will take to succeed?

As mentioned above, quitting is the only real failure. Perseverance is, therefore, the only road to success. This means different things to different people depending upon the amount of time they have to dedicate to the new business, the amount of help they have – both financial and from employees or contractors – and their personal work habits and energy.

According to New York based Real Estate developer and entrepreneur Roman Temkin, “The journey from idea to success includes many steps. How quickly you or your company takes the steps is determined by your efforts and the market itself. In other words, 99% dedication and persistence and 1% luck.”

With the right knowledge, long hours and a willingness to take calculated risks, and entrepreneur can find success very quickly. This could mean a sale on launch day or a product skyrocketing to the top of all sales charts on a popular e-commerce website. Expecting exceptional results is different than working toward them. Entrepreneurship is largely about putting yourself out on deck in control and in public and staying there no matter how rough the ride becomes.

Flexibility, a measure of common sense, a constant strive to learn more about your industry and marketing opportunities and a passion for what you are doing combined to find success sooner rather than later.

When does success come in entrepreneurship? When education and effort meet expectations, success is achieved.