[This article is especially meant for those who want to startup on their own, but have a doubt if they have enough courage to take the ball forward. I recommend that you focus on whether your business idea has enough potential or not, instead of soft skills which you will anyways learn along your way.]
Continuing with an earlier thread on breaking some of the myths regarding entrepreneurship (read the first part : Myths About Entrepreneurship – I will be my Boss), here is one that needs a serious attention.
Entrepreneurs are rock stars. Entrepreneurship is ‘the’ most courageous thing to do. It takes a lot of courage to startup.
Hold on. Being an entrepreneur doesn’t really make you a ‘holier than thou’ or a rock star. If you are the one who believes in Entrepreneurship as a tool to showcase your courage, there are much better things to do in life (hint: start preparing for Royal Enfield’s Himalayan Odyssey).
If you think entrepreneurs have a rock star life, well yes. They do have, except that very few of these rock stars get to perform in front of the audience (and we never hear the stories of those who failed). I recently met a wannapreneur who is in awe of few technology entrepreneurs and wants to start his business, in order to stay different (from his colleagues/friends) and ofcourse, live a ‘rock star’ life – in short, all the wrong reasons to start a business!.
Well, let me put it this way – Entrepreneurship requires guts, courage (plus patience), but is not the other way round. You don’t need to be courageous to start a business. Some of the successful entrepreneurs I know haven’t ever done rock climbing (that’s mild) or any other risky activity in life earlier.
As long as you stick to the vision of shaping your idea into a profitable business, you will do whatever it takes to get there – and that needs courage. That needs a lot of patience – and these are skills you will develop as you go along!
The will to do ‘whatever it takes’ is what makes the cut.
And it’s the same courage you need in your salaried job – just that risk, returns and efforts are massively different when you start your own business.
At the end of the day, what we need to realize is that entrepreneurship has been glorified in the white-collar (especially software industry) world (especially by mainstream media which is always in search of a hero) and exists in so many forms among the blue-collar world (dhandha anyone?).
For real entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship is just a way of life – just as what you have for any salaried professional. In fact, Entrepreneurship is just another career choice you will ever make in your life.
Courage, Guts, Patience are the ingredients for a perfect recipe – but do not take them as ‘the’ food.
So stop glorifying your entrepreneurial life and get back to building a business.
What’s your observation?
Also Read: 7 Myths of Starting Up [I have an Idea, But Won’t Share it]
