Entrepreneurs are inherently optimists. They have to be, otherwise they'd give up, get a job, and not bother sharing their stories of failure. That's why what we see is weighted positively.
A certain amount of optimism is a necessary prerequisite of being an entrepreneur. Nobody would ever do it if they knew from the start how hard it would be.
Thanks man. I find hobbyists aren't fully committed and look at entrepreneurship as "fun". Hustlers, also think and know entrepreneurship is fun...but its in their blood, they can't sleep at night. Or if you are like me...you email yourself ideas while lying in bed at 2 am haha.
They like the creative freedom and empowerment that a capitalist society brings, but also the knowledge that if they fall on hard times then there is a safety net that keeps them off the streets. Remember, we can't all be winners all of the time, sometimes bad stuff happens to good people.
I understand now. That's the key.
Just my two cents, but it looks to me like there are two types of entrepreneurs. Those who believe in themselves completely and those who believe in luck to some extent.
If you believe in yourself completely, any failure stems from yourself and can be corrected. No need for a safety net, just correct the error and keep going.
Luck, on the other hand, is not something that can be controlled. It just happens or it doesn't, requiring a safety net in case it doesn't happen.
Most of the entrepreneurs that I've met are dreamers and optimists. I'm sure that most get into it wishing to make it rich (I'm betting most of the ones that want to make the world a better place also hope to get a little rich along the way). Most don't succeed.
But that life is definitely sustainable. You might not have the biggest house and nicest car, but you should definitely be able to live an OK life. It gets more difficult as you have dependants, but some things will work, some things wont, and overall you just kind of hope it works out in the long run. There are no guarantees, but I don't know many people who pursue that life and end up on the street.
I wouldn't say I live a truly cutting edge entrepreneurial life but in 20 years of "adulthood" I have never had a "real job", I've gotten married, two kids, nice house in a leafy part of London. I drive a Mazda rather than a Ferrari so I'm definitely not where I'd like to be, but life is pretty good.
Don't worry about the future too much and just go for it, things will work out.
that's really cool, your definition of a great entrepreneur is a bit outside the common parlance but yeah I'd definitely agree that your father in law is a successful entrepreneur
Sustainable profitable businesses that make a healthy profit and give back to their communities are the lifeblood of economies
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