What entrepreneurs can learn from regular people (2016)(studio.ribbonfarm.com) |
What entrepreneurs can learn from regular people (2016)(studio.ribbonfarm.com) |
I have met hundreds of entrepreneurs at Bootstrappers Breakfasts over the last years and this description and taxonomy bears no relationship to my experience.
There is a massive audience for "grindset" content that has imo has very little curiosity to it outside of ways of acquiring wealth, I think that may be some level of evidence for his argument.
Even more anecdotally, when I scroll LinkedIn I constantly see extremely successful people making posts that massively simplify complex and interesting topics into painfully one-dimensional problems with easy answers. Some of that is definitely politically driven but either way its those people that I thought of while reading the piece.
We don't attract a lot of the "make money while you sleep" or "four hour work week" folks--but I don't consider them entrepreneurs. I think there are two critical elements of an an entrepreneurial disposition:
1. Commit to the exchange of value for value, of quid pro quo. This does not preclude acts of generosity and kindness.
2. Cultivate the capability to take prudent risks to explore and learn. It embeds the realization that failure is a real possibility and a plan that anticipates how to survive a sequence of small failures (of “affordable losses”) is far preferable to incurring a substantial loss that bankrupts you.
But it's also likely there is considerable selection bias in Rao's sample and he should be cautious to generalize to all entrepreneurs. I recently re-read
McDonald's: Behind The Arches by John F. Love https://www.amazon.com/McDonalds-Behind-John-F-Love/dp/05533...
Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton with John Huey https://www.amazon.com/Sam-Walton-Made-America/dp/0385426151...
I was struck by how curious Walton and Kroc were about the competition and about how much they listened and incorporated feedback from store managers and suppliers into their business. The ideas that propelled expansion all came from others as both firms scaled up. And they discovered those ideas because they were curious, they solicited them, and they listened.
Some founders are irregular people and some irregular people are founders.
Being a founder is not somehow a class above, any more than being a politician, a soldier, a cop, or whatever else. We may afford such people greater status, but they are just regular people with a particular career.
Founders that don't see noteworthy success are more likely to be 'regular' people, but even then that's likely a minority. As the majority probably have way above average risk tolerance.
Like "entrepreneurs" (whatever the author makes as a definition) are fundamentally not "regular people" (whatever the author etc.). What kings can learn from peons ? Everything, kings know nothing and rely on other people to do everything. They only have the means (the money) to motivate them.
Shit we all lost 5mn.
Does watching "entrepreneur porn" automatically mean you aren't a "real" entrepreneur? Or is entrepreneur porn a reflection of the values of some entrepreneurs?
We don't have to consider it to be a good thing to use it as a data point, and what you are saying aligns well with the OP, entrepreneurs should strive to be curious as it will make them happier, if not more successful.
I like to read urban fantasy like the "Rivers of London" series by Ben Aaronovitch, which offers--as far as I can tell--a realistic depiction of police work, London history, and a hypothetical system of magic. I have not tried any of the spells Aaronovitch details but I suspect I won't be able to make them work.
People with unrealistic ideas of about relationships should broaden their information diet beyond porn. If they are repeatedly frustrated that their partner does not respond in the same way as actors do in a movie they should re-assess and realize they are not watching a documentary or training film.
I think reading "entrepreneur porn" is a waste of time--or perhaps the source of a rich fantasy life in the same way I enjoy science fiction and urban fantasy. But I don't try to act either out.
Entrepreneurship is not like algebra: the methods are not permanently settled and amenable to classroom instruction. It's a practice that--like learning how to ride a bike--involves making your own mistakes and mastering a specific local situation (at least initially).