The hardest thing about wanting an untemplate life is dreaming about it while sitting in a sea of cubicles, dealing with people that too-closely resemble characters from Office Space. You know there's a better way, and this site is proof. But getting there, with the responsibilities that are a part of the real world, make it harder to get out of the rat race. There's one … [Read more...]
Solve a Pain or Follow Your Passion?
During my young days as an entrepreneur, I was taught to find a pain in my life and solve it. Nowadays all I hear is "Make money following your passion!" or "Turn your passion into a business!" I mean EVERYONE is telling you to do this, not just the big dogs. Last week, Seth Godin advised the following: "If you're really into high-end stereos and you want to be an … [Read more...]
Before you start: Prepare for the Emotional Realities of Entrepreneurship
As a young entrepreneur, I made mistakes that caused entrepreneurship to be a lot harder than it should have been. These mistakes are not about hiring, marketing, operations, or funding; instead, these mistakes are emotional in nature: I spent two years hungry, unable to take my girlfriend out to nice dinners or vacation trips No Roth IRA, no savings, and I didn't make a … [Read more...]
Which path should you take: Corporate Professional vs Entrepreneur
At times I feel entrepreneurs are too critical of the corporate world. Sure it involves a lot of grunt work and ass-kissing to move up the corporate ladder, but there are A LOT of benefits to learning from the corporate world that the startup life just doesn't provide. At the same time, just because you succeed in the corporate world, by no means does it mean you will … [Read more...]
You Are Probably Insane
If you analyzed psychology of your average entrepreneur, you would discover a person in serious need of some rather comprehensive therapy. We are overconfident, risk seeking, gamblers with half-cocked beliefs in our ability to overcome the near statistical impossibility of surviving in business. Add to this the compulsions that drives us to work 60-100 hours a week for … [Read more...]