There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. ~Niccolo Machiavelli
How Did I Get Here? * You didn’t choose the entrepreneur life; it chose you
Working with a start-up through their near-death experiences to their breakthrough moments is a drug. There is simply nothing better than it in life. To see the ingenuity of people working to change the world for the better is the most addictive thing on the planet. You never get over it, and you never get enough of it.
But don’t think that you get pats on the back for what you do. It’s not as if the world necessarily appreciates the entrepreneur. People get jealous. They don’t understand how decisive you have to be. You don’t have the luxury of holidays; you simply answer the phone in another location.
Innovators get into trouble. Caravaggio was one of the greatest painters of all time. He painted the world as it was, not pretty. He was trouble, and that got him into trouble.
Misfortune befalls innovators because as Machiavelli says above, they are bringing about a new order of things. The status quo has teeth.
Don’t be an entrepreneur because you think it’s cool. It’s actually not. Or you don’t want to work for someone else. You work for everyone. Be an entrepreneur if you honestly will not be ok if you don’t do what you take to market. Entrepreneurs are people who are literally NOT QUITE RIGHT in the head. Does anyone really think that Steve Jobs, or Elon Musk, or Larry Elison are ‘nice’ people. I highly doubt they are. They have created great businesses, and while they don’t get a free pass for their foibles, they move the world forward – solving problems from which all of society benefits.