I found this comment from Michael Olenick on this WSJ article (title: "So, You Want to Ben an Entrepreneur") funny, mostly true, and telling:
If you should start your own business you've probably already tried a
few times by now: you can't help yourself. People cut out to make
businesses do just that, and there's no stopping them. They sometimes
end up at larger organizations -- especially if a prior business was
acquired -- but there they'll naturally either fall into the new
business group or find they're a bad cultural fit. It's just one of
those things baked into people.
I have two dogs, brother and sister. One is a fanatical fetcher: she's not doing you a favor by bringing the ball back, you're doing her a favor by throwing it. She'll play fetch anywhere, anytime and for anybody -- if you woke her up in the middle of the night to play fetch she'd be happy. The other has no interest in fetching and just ignores all the fetch toys. Despite that they're together constantly he just doesn't show any interest.
Entrepreneurs are basically the same way: you either have it or you don't. I remember reading somewhere that Ben & Jerry started something like seven businesses before coming up with their ice-cream stores: that's the spirit you'd need. If you don't, you may want to be careful investing your life savings starting a business because you'll be competing with those that do, and they're (we're) basically workaholic maniacs who will blow through any obstacle the world -- or our competitors -- might throw at us. And with that rant, I'm finished lunch and back to coding/selling/bookkeeping/managing ... just after I take a moment to empty my own trash bin.
I have two dogs, brother and sister. One is a fanatical fetcher: she's not doing you a favor by bringing the ball back, you're doing her a favor by throwing it. She'll play fetch anywhere, anytime and for anybody -- if you woke her up in the middle of the night to play fetch she'd be happy. The other has no interest in fetching and just ignores all the fetch toys. Despite that they're together constantly he just doesn't show any interest.
Entrepreneurs are basically the same way: you either have it or you don't. I remember reading somewhere that Ben & Jerry started something like seven businesses before coming up with their ice-cream stores: that's the spirit you'd need. If you don't, you may want to be careful investing your life savings starting a business because you'll be competing with those that do, and they're (we're) basically workaholic maniacs who will blow through any obstacle the world -- or our competitors -- might throw at us. And with that rant, I'm finished lunch and back to coding/selling/bookkeeping/managing ... just after I take a moment to empty my own trash bin.
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