Something resignated with me in the latest post by Mike Arrington on Uncrunched.com:

There’s one last thing that entrepreneurs need, too. Your [...investor...] support. Starting a company is a lonely thing, and there are usually people in your life who think you’re crazy for doing it. Sometimes an entrepreneur just needs to know you actually believe in them to keep their morale up during the tough times.

Golden words...and one can't get the true meaning of those without trying to build a company from scratch.