I have alluded to the fact that I have been working on a start-up idea over the past few months. In the coming days, I will be in launch mode (scary). As I have been preparing, I have been thinking about the reasons why I am doing this. Trust me: this process is not for the meek.
I came across a wonderful article by Phil Libin, the CEO and co-founder of Evernote who, in my opinion, summed it up best when he wrote, “People start businesses for any number of reasons, almost all of which are wrong. There is only one right reason, and you already know it.” I sat down and went through the list of all the wrong reasons he listed for becoming an entrepreneur.
Did I do this to make money? Um, no. In fact, I can tell you that my sweat equity feels great, but it doesn’t pay the bills and likely won’t for a while.
Did I do this to have power? Get real. Unless you have an incredibly large amount of disposable income to fund your own business, your “power” is defined by how well you are able to persuade people to commit to your vision with their money. The day-to-day power of running a business is a myth. You can’t do it all and nor should you want to. Share the responsibility. Empower others. Just remember though: you are still accountable for the results.
Did I do this to have more free time? Seriously? I can’t remember the last time I said to myself, “Self, what would you like to do today?”
Did I do this to change the world? Definitely. And the fact that I am statistically likely to fail makes it all the more important to that I work harder, smarter and faster. It is going to take a lot of GGGrit.