A few weeks ago, I was in a coffee shop, catching up with an old friend. It was one of those moments when life feels paused. The aroma of coffee and the low hum of conversations hung in the air.

My friend, ever buoyant, declared with dramatic flair, “I’m so happy you’ve embraced entrepreneurship!”

I said nothing. Not because I disagreed, but because I didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t done, though. With a sly smile, she added, “At least you’ve jumped off the corporate salary bandwagon.”

I stirred my black coffee. It didn’t need stirring. In my head, I weighed her words. Should I tell her the truth? That entrepreneurship isn’t all glamour. It’s fulfilling, yes, but relentless.

Before I could decide, she dropped the next bombshell. “Someday, you’ll be a millionaire. Or even a billionaire!”

I almost choked. “Excuse me?”

The table next to us went silent. Two young men, mid-presentation, froze. Their audience, a man who looked like he made important decisions daily, turned to look at me too. The room suddenly felt charged.

I shuffled in my seat and mumbled something about the weather.

The moment passed. The other table wrapped up. The young men collected their notes. The polished man stood, slipping into his jacket.

He turned to the presenters. His voice was calm but sharp. “A million seconds is about 11 days. A billion seconds is roughly 32 years. There’s a big difference between a million and a billion.”

He glanced at them, then at my friend, and finally at me.

And then he walked away.

I turned to my friend. “There’s a lesson there,” I said.

Her eyebrows rose. “And what’s that?”

I smiled. “A million and a billion are one letter apart—with a lifetime in between.”