There have been many folks who have written on how entrepreneurship is challenging, how it’s exciting but risky at the same time and many decided to pen down their own successful journey. However one thing which we haven't seen is entrepreneurs who haven't succeeded or who are struggling take time to share what is so good and bad about entrepreneurship.
Frankly, these struggling CxO's have either not been invited or they are busy finding business to survive the next month.So i thought let me share the fun, excitement, risk, guilt, pain, joy, challenge that i have faced in my trial as an entrepreneur. No no, that doesn't mean that my venture didn't do great or i decided to write without worrying about cash flows for next month :). I am yet to be a part of either of the two classes or for that matter any class!.
Any ways, one thing i am sure is that Entrepreneurs are disruptive folks - when i was completing my MBA my only aim in life was to earn money and settle in western country and so luckily or unluckily just when I thought I was on track, but disruptive mind work up and decided that there’s no fun if things go as per plan and so i landed up leaving my job, some decent cash and a nice lifestyle to be on roads selling things in Indian cities. Whether it’s a brave decision or not is yet to be seen but the impulse to create disruption is what pushed me.
Other important thing about entrepreneurs who have managed to get some decent management education is their ability to build on "intellectual wisdom" , which they call with a different and more familiar term as well. So when ever my partner and i got time, especially when you don't have a client to listen to you, we started thinking what more we can do. So from designing logos we were soon printing advertisements on Pizza boxes and tissue rolls. Whether it results in some end product or not, the climax of it all is what makes you feel – yeah, we can do it!
People say entrepreneurship is all about unpredictability - i say it is not. Its the most predictable kind of work that one can do. As an entrepreneur there's so many things which you know would happen, unless you are trying to fool your mind and think you are some superman - clients would never treat you well, your end product will never be up to the satisfaction level of the clients, if you have vendors they will squeeze hell out of you and your employees will think you are one waste fellow who is dumping work without earning money. Can it be more predictable?
Ok, now another wonderful thing i noticed - i know i have quite a few in a short span - Go to an old timer and he will behave like one saint who has kept every step after measuring every cm and he will ensure that he gives you enough gyaan to make you feel - Do i know anything about entrepreneurship? Don't worry, take it with a pinch of salt and erase the history. And don’t forget, come a media channel or let someone ask for a press release from us – we youngsters, I feel good calling myself a youngster, become an old timer in no time.
Then if you are a young startup you will enjoy your freedom but as you slowly start growing there are too many things which needs to be taken care of. Margins and Revenues are not the only thing, statutory compliance, board meetings, targets – the only difference from a corporate world and entrepreneurship in this form is that if you are in corporate world you would be seeing someone’s life getting miserable but if you are an entrepreneur than someone will look at you and quietly observe your life taking “that” direction.
Moving away from direction, be prepared to be away from some quick cash as well. Entrepreneurs who don’t take a hit on pocket are not entrepreneurs J. So unless you fight with you family for money, or ask your wife to earn that extra buck, you haven’t struggled and hence you don’t have anything to write in your biography or journey when you grow big.
However, as everyone says - Its fun and going through all these things is what makes this journey special. If you are struggling you might not agree, even i don't unless it’s the day when the lady luck is smiling.
All said and done, like everyone diplomatically ends a speech I need to do something similar to my article, there are risks, the path isn’t rosy but then it is the sense of satisfaction that you get even after achieving a small thing which makes up for all this. I am trying to build what could be world's only end to end creative crowdsourcing ecosystem - Jade Magnet and when I realize that I have worked with 150 clients, helped at least 300 providers get access to clients they wont have been able to, created interest in 3000 providers to knock doors of Jade Magnet – I sleep with satisfaction that i only read about when I was in the luxurious corporate world.
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