

Should I Become an Entrepreneur? - hellacious
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/01/should_i_become_an_entrepreneu.html

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falsestprophet
For people dreaming about staring a business the real question is _Will I
become an entrepreneur?_ Everyone's answer seems to be _eventually_ , but, as
a rule, the answer is _no_ \-- you won't get as far as selling an action
figure on eBay.

But, you may one day write an article for the Harvard Business Review.

~~~
darinpantley
I agree.

Some people who would have made excellent entrepreneurs will never become one
because their existing lives are satisfactory. However, they may still develop
many of the same skills as an entrepreneur while rising up through the ranks
of a corporation, which puts them in an excellent position to write business
literature.

Others will never become one because their lives are hard and making the jump
to starting a business would only make them harder.

For everyone else in the murky middle, the question remains. "Should I become
an entrepreneur?" And if the answer is 'yes', falsestprophet's question
follows: "Will I become an entrepreneur?"

Entrepreneurs are people who are risk-averse enough to try something new. The
successful ones minimize risk by making calculated decisions that make sense.

Every entrepreneur has a unique story to tell, but not so unique that you
can't imagine yourself fitting in to the stories of some entrepreneurs.

~~~
darinpantley
Ah, good catch sparky, you're right. The way I wrote that made no sense.
Here's what I meant to say:

"Entrepreneurs are risk-takers that try new things. The successful ones
minimize risk by making calculated decisions that make sense."

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brc
I've forwarded this to a friend. After 10 years in a job, things finally fell
out and he walked. He hated the job but it paid the bills and kept his family
comfortable.

All this time he's been talking how he has been going to work on a startup, do
something for himself. After his job finished I said to take a couple of
months and get his head clear before launching into anything. It's now a
couple of months later, and instead of coming back to me with a plan and some
ideas, he's instead going to an interview with someone who rang him up out of
the blue.

I'm not sure at this point whether to help overcome his fear or just write him
off as a possibility to do something with. I had a couple of good things we
could have collaborated on, but I think he is drifting back towards a job he
will end up (start out?) hating. In the past this individual has built some
tools and sold them on the side, has good networking skills and some good
ideas. Personally I just feel he's too frightened to step out, even though
they (as a family) are pretty secure financially.

So I guess what I'm asking is should I offer encouragement to step out, or
just let him choose to walk back into another corporate job? Should all
choices to follow an entrepreneur dream be self motivated, or does it sometime
help if a friend gives you the 'it's now or never' speech?

~~~
gruseom
How can _you_ overcome _his_ fear?

If his choice weren't self-motivated, the first thing that would happen when
adversity inevitably struck would be to blame you.

Seems to me the best encouragement you can offer is to have a heartfelt
discussion, then leave him free to go wherever his inner vectors add up to.

------
acconrad
If you have to ask that question the answer is no. Entrepreneurial endeavors
are not for the scared or unadventurous, and that basically describes anyone
who answers "yes" to the questions in the article.

~~~
gte910h
I couldn't disagree more. Asking the question "Should I" shows the realism
required to successfully run a business you own.

~~~
markkat
Not trying to be snide, but I don't understand what 'realism' means in this
context. Personally, if a potential business partner told me that they were
'realistic' about strategy or risks or whatever, I would take it as a warning
sign.

No doubt there are limiting factors and risks in anything that you do, but I'd
rather find those by bumping into them, not by cautiousness. I'd rather get a
new paint job and win the race than lose without a scratch.

BTW, not sure what you meant actually, but it just brought out the thought.

~~~
gte910h
If you do not analyze if you should be doing something, even if you really
want to do it, you're jumping in without showing good judgement.

It's like going to get a PhD without researching what that makes your life
like, etc, just because you like ______ topic.

"Should I be an entrepreneur" is a good question to ask oneself before being
one. It shows measured caution, which is evaluation of oneself before
embarking on something. The mark of a successful entrepreneur is taking
_measured_ risks, not silly risks. Those who take silly risks are just
accidental winners if they win.

The unwillingness to figure out if you'd be good at something before jumping
in with both feet is a great way to show where you are on the spectrum of the
Dunning–Kruger effect.

~~~
markkat
>It's like going to get a PhD without researching what that makes your life
like, etc, just because you like ______ topic.

Funny, because that's exactly why I got mine. :) -It's worked out fine.

I think there should be an antithesis to the Dunning–Kruger effect:
exceptionally-intelligent people don't achieve their potential, because their
ability to see all possible roadblocks kills their confidence.

Bertrand Russel put it more succinctly: "The trouble with the world is that
the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

Sometimes you have to dare to be stupid. :)

~~~
gte910h
>I think there should be an antithesis to the Dunning–Kruger effect:
exceptionally-intelligent people don't achieve their potential, because their
ability to see all possible roadblocks kills their confidence.

People shouldn't clamor for fog on the mountains they're going to climb to not
get discouraged. They should develop enough self control to accept a challenge
with eyes open. Then they know where they're stepping and can plan, as the
mountain is in view, instead of shrouded in fog.

I mean, do you do brain research in a startup? I know I've been in my business
for 4 years here after taking measured steps for years before that and it
worked out fine.

------
Supermighty
None of this matters. No stats, no rules, not what anyone else has done, or
not done.

The only thing that matters is getting out there and doing it. Find a way to
create value and sell it.

Want to be an entrepreneur? Then be one.

------
law
As a general (and quite accurate) rule, if you have to ask the question, then
the answer is 'no'.

If your goals are to become the next Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Larry Page,
Steve Jobs, etc., the answer is 'no'.

If you're sick of your current job, want a change, and hate being a
subordinate, the answer is 'no'.

So, when is it okay to turn your current life, and risk it all for what seems
like a gutshot straight draw? It differs for everyone, but the motivator must
be sheer passion for eliciting change and realizing a dream. Moreover, the
dream must be for you; it shouldn't be for anyone else. If you're developing a
product, develop a product that you yourself would back; if you aren't
absolutely, unquestionably committed to your product, then it is my personal
guarantee that no one else will be.

~~~
gte910h
>If you're sick of your current job, want a change, and hate being a
subordinate, the answer is 'no'.

According to Illusions of Entrepreneurship, most entrepreneurs are in their
_40s_ , not 20s.

Additionally, many entrepreneurs, (I believe it said a plurality) were
entrepreneurs because they didn't like or couldn't work well under a boss more
than any other reason.

[1] Non-aff link: [http://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Entrepreneurship-Costly-
Entr...](http://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Entrepreneurship-Costly-
Entrepreneurs-Investors/dp/0300113315)

~~~
law
What I was trying to illustrate was that those reasons shouldn't be the _only_
ones for starting your own business. I agree that those qualities may exist in
many entrepreneurs, but they might actually be more of distraction than
anything else. Passion for your product or solution should be the driving
force behind an entrepreneurial endeavor.

~~~
dj_axl
>Passion for your product or solution should be the driving force behind an
entrepreneurial endeavor.

I had this discussion with a co-worker. While I think you shouldn't have
hatred/distaste for your product or solution, I think it's more important that
you have passion for helping your customers/clients in a good-for-everyone
way. For this reason I'd ideally entrepreneur in the charity sector, because I
have a passion for helping charity organizations.

There might be varying shades of grey to this argument. I'm a web application
developer, and my co-worker would only pursue building ASP.NET websites
related to his passion, music. Less extreme versions would be either building
for any platform in any programming language, something music related. Or
building ASP.NET web sites/services but not for music. Also varying
definitions of "passion".

------
fleitz
If you have the drive, determination and character to persevere.

Being an entrepreneur doesn't necessarily mean doing a high risk internet
startup. I think that for those with the character to do so it's a very good
choice. Entrepreneurs aren't irrational people. I didn't pick entrepreneurship
for purely fiscal reasons. I chose it primarily for personal reasons, although
I do feel that my economic outcome will be better as well. I mainly chose
entrepreneurship because I want to work for a company that shares my values
and operates the way I think a business should operate. I'm 8 months in
bootstrapped, (ramen) profitable, and proud. Perhaps that's not fiscally
viable but we'll find out.

90% of business may fail within a 5 years, but how many jobs fail within 5
years?

Sure a job is 'safe' but I'm not a part of the growing culture that prefers
safety at the expense of everything else. Life is about living, not avoiding
death. I want to live my life to the fullest, instead of merely prolonging the
inevitable a little longer. I don't think anyone sits on their deathbed saying
"Gee, I really should have stuck with that safe job instead of risking it all
on a startup". If your startup fails and you don't want to try again, you can
always brush off the resume.

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meterplech
In my entrepreneurship program at school, someone asked a speaker how he
managed to avoid taking a job and sticking with starting a company. He
responded "I never made a resume. If you don't have a resume, you can't get a
job."

Perhaps it isn't quite that simple, but it's a nice story.

