You said a lot with very few words. There are entrepreneurs and what people think an entrepreneur is. Most people do want to be entrepreneurs except they want to be the second, unrealistic kind. You know, the kind that makes their own hours, works in their pajamas, does a lot of delegating but not much real work, and takes a lot of vacations on Yachts in the Pacific. People want to do that. Everyone wants to do that.
Too bad most who try will find out that real entrepreneurship isn't all Yachts, caviar, and a totally flexible schedule. It's harder than being an employee, especially at first.
Being an entrepreneur is really hard work. Yeah you can get rich, sometimes very quickly, but a lot of people just don't want to work 5-10x as hard for 0.5-100x the pay.
You will:
- work more hours.
- deal with so much more stress.
- flirt with financial ruin at least once.
- struggle to balance work and family.
But some folks are just cut out to do it. It's like a genetic predisposition that can't be denied. And if one can learn to cope with the issues I mentioned (and more) being an entrepreneur is one of the most rewarding life experiences out there.
Yo it's the fun aspect of starting and running companies why people do it. No job can come anywhere close to the satisfaction of being an entrepreneur. Think of it as a serious game. Talking about money and changing the world, only a very few people have that idea on their minds. Think of people like Elon Musk who are mad about their mission and bring out a revolutionary shift in the way things work. In the end, it's all about money. The only things that people do for free are charity drives.
Your post make it sound like entrepreneurship is all about money. Especially statements like: "Only quit your day job once you’ve found something that works, and before you know it, you’ll have a good income and a good life with little risk and little stress.".
When you want to build the next big thing, to change the World, etc., not simply to gain some income, building a high growth / high stress startup may be necessary.
It's a large part of what drives me to be an entrepreneur. Pretty hard to cruise around in a Lambo visiting kids in the hospital working middle management.
Let me ask a question back at you: why do you want to become an entrepreneur? For most people, that's just playing a lottery. Most lottery tickets lose.
Why not take your job skills and settle down to a nice, stable job?
"because it's interesting and fun and challenging and sometimes disappointing and a fantastic learning experience and you might get rich or go broke while experiencing the full, unfiltered range of human emotions and potential"
This is one of the best articulations of why I'm an entrepreneur that I've read. Thanks.
Being profitable is hard work. Much more fun to play the startup game, throw some wild parties, and be acquired than building a real business making real money.
Talk to some serial entrepreneurs. Many of them are already rich, and don't need to work, but they do it anyway. They're motivated by the challenge, not the money.
Most of the "successful" entrepreneurs I know are self motivated and share a burning desire to succeed beyond the confines of corporate slavery.
Some people find corporate life comfortable. They show up every day and wait for their marching orders --- no need to think or act independently. At the end of the day, they shutdown and go home
If you like the "comfort" of corporate life, you are probably not meant to be an entrepreneur.
Some people become entrepreneurs because they want to make loads of money. Others do it for the freedom and lifestyle it affords them. It just depends on what your priorities are. Personally, I prefer setting my own hours over driving a BMW.
It’s a lot of work and there’s plenty of money to be made as a corporate drone.
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