Does entrepreneurship change people for the better?
Stuck on a plane somewhere between Chicago and Los Angeles, I pulled out a magazine I had bought at the airport. It's one of my favorites and is always full of stories that inspire, educate and enlighten me on topics that are interesting.
Inc Magazine is an entrepreneurial stable. It is one of the most popular magazines in the world for entrepreneurs and people who run businesses. One of my good friends Kevin Daum, a guy that I met way back in 2002 in Sydney, Australia, is a New Yorker who submits regular articles to Inc Magazine that are read by thousands of people.
As I read the article, "I thought I knew you - Entrepreneurship changes people - and not always for the better", I reflected on my own experiences.
Has entrepreneurship changed me? Is it for the better?
Inc Magazine is an entrepreneurial stable. It is one of the most popular magazines in the world for entrepreneurs and people who run businesses. One of my good friends Kevin Daum, a guy that I met way back in 2002 in Sydney, Australia, is a New Yorker who submits regular articles to Inc Magazine that are read by thousands of people.
As I read the article, "I thought I knew you - Entrepreneurship changes people - and not always for the better", I reflected on my own experiences.
Has entrepreneurship changed me? Is it for the better?
I don't know how to answer that but I know that being an entrepreneur has done a couple of things for me; given me confidence, challenged me at every single corner, made me look at my reflection in the mirror more than once, ensured that I have more sleepless nights than I care to remember and has given me moments of excitement that I have not experienced elsewhere.
If I was to look a bit deeper, I am sure that there are moments when my friends had wished that I went back to the old me. The one that was a little shyer, more hesitant, travelled less and didn't lose sight of what's important in life and that is family and friends.
As I have mentioned before, I have missed weddings, funerals and special occasions of friends and family on more occasions than I remember. I am not proud of this and its only when I look back that I really regret the fact that I have put a business meeting or deadline as a higher priority than what is really important.
In the story, the writer comments on "Entrepreneurship frequently evokes profound psychic responses: Elation and depression can succeed each other so rapidly as to induce emotional whiplash".
I definitely experienced that more than once. Gosh, is this story really about me?
Fortunately, it is not but there are some areas I can easily identify with.
If I look around myself and think of some of my friends who have become entrepreneurs, there are many pros and cons.
Pros:
- Shared experiences
- Celebration of successes
- Wealth creation
- Openness to new experiences
- Moments of being proud of accomplishments
- Learning about people and employees
- Openness to innovation and creation
- Acquisition of knowledge and skills
- Moments of you being jealous of others accomplishments when you haven't quite made it
- Winning at all levels
- Living and working in places that blow my mind
Cons:
- Highs and lows of business
- Long hours and often little reward
- Crippling fear of the unknown
- Slaps in the face
- Addiction to smart phones
- The moments of losing sight of what really is important
- Moments of other people being jealous of your accomplishments
- Times when other people celebrate your disasters
Can you identify with any of this? What is your pros and cons as an entrepreneur?
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comments ( 5 )
Seo Adelaide
03 Jun 2013Thanks for this, I really appreciate what you have done here. Keep it up, and I will be back for more.
ReplyJulia
10 May 2013I can imagine entrepreneurship changing people for the worse if they are not well suited to the profession. Risk averse people need not apply.
ReplyIf you do have the necessary skills to be an entrepreneur I think it can definitely change you for the better. Although my successful entrepreneur friends work longer hours than most and experience higher levels of stress, they tend to have a higher level of career satisfaction.
Lexi EACSOFT
09 May 2013That's a pretty interesting question. I've been in the web design business here in Brisbane and personally, I know I changed a lot over the years. I've become more patient in terms of dealing with people and somewhat developed a short fuse for websites that load ever so slowly, hahaha!
ReplyCharles DELOFFRE
08 May 2013I must say i agree that entrepreneurship could change people, but i also should say that we are what we want to be. It means only ourself could find real priorities. I think that even if work is really important for life, weddings and funerals happen only once per life... (generally speaking)
ReplyTom
07 May 2013Entrepreneurship has changed me and my family for the better. There are just so many opportunities. Richard Branson said we are all lucky. It's the people who take advantage of that luck that are successful. I don't remember word for word what he said but it's pretty close. Everyone has this opportunity. Just get on board and don't get off.
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