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New York Entrepreneurs: Nominate Your Company for The Resilience Awards Your chance to spotlight yourself or someone you know who defines what it means to be an entrepreneurial warrior.

By Jason Saltzman Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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Editor's Note: Entrepreneur Media is an investor and partner with Alley, a co-working space in New York City.

Building a startup is one of the hardest things to do -- to create something out of nothing is sort of like magic. For those who are reading this, and have ventured down the entrepreneurial path, you know exactly what I am talking about. Being self-employed for most of my life, I have experienced heartache, anxiety and raw emotion that would drive most mad.

I know what it takes to start a company and keep it alive. That's why my company, Alley, is recognizing entrepreneurial warriors in New York raging battle to make their mark in the world with our inaugural NYC Resilience Awards of 2016.

This isn't about glorifying the "business underdog," who sold his or her company or raised a gazillion dollars. This is about recognizing and rewarding the "real" world of struggle and pain, and overcoming doubt with unparalleled true grit.

Related: Feeling Down? 6 Tricks to Help You Cope

Alley is an entrepreneurial hub that was created to connect like-minded individuals who are going through this exact journey. Nothing is more powerful than a solid support system and a community formed around real, meaningful relationships. That's why we want to shine a light on your stories. We want to know about your bloody battles and sleepless nights -- stories that focus on the true embodiment of the entrepreneurial spirit.

We aim to educate the world on what it truly means to start a business and reward amazing companies that have made it through the toughest of times. We have partnered with some incredible organizations to provide valuable awards for the winners including getting free membership at Alley and much more.

Related: 5 Ways Criticism Can Make You Stronger

Alley will share these stories within our social networks, newsletter and other platforms. We will also be hosting a series of events so that founders and newcomers can discuss their experiences. If you can not make it to one of our events, we will be curating video of them so you can watch anytime.

To learn more and to submit your company (or a company you like), go here: The NYC Resilience Awards of 2016.

The struggle is real, so let's celebrate it.

Jason Saltzman

Startup Mentor, Entrepreneur, CEO of Alley

Jason Saltzman is a seasoned entrepreneur with a background in sales and marketing. Through his role as CEO of Alley and as a TechStars mentor, he advises hundreds of startups, offering real-life practical application and creative marketing advice.  

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

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