4 ms·

What Makes an Entrepreneur? Cojones

13 points by greyman 17y ago

jacquesm 17y ago
Self congratulatory bull-shit. Plenty of people become entrepreneurs out of some level of desperation (need to put food on the table!). They learn and with some time they can become excellent - or simply just good enough - at running a business. The 'ballsy' ones are disproportionally represented in the stellar successes camp as well as the miserable failure camp, with the majority of them in the latter. If you are not risk averse at all you will have to be extremely lucky to survive an extended stretch of entrepreneurship. For every phase of managing a company there is a different profile that works best, and the best entrepreneurs are the ones that adapt their personalities to the situation they find themselves in. Serial gamblers can have a winning streak, but they eventually always lose.
- onewland 17y ago
  This whole series (this article is part 7 of a series of blog posts) seems like it should be titled "Qualities the Author Perceives he Embodies that Lead to his Great Success". I guess that was a long way to call this self-congragulatory bullshit.
  - msuster 17y ago
    No, not really. On my blog I often talk about the things that I F'd up along the way. Probably more articles on that than self congratulations. I did some things well, I did some things poorly. I use examples from life because I think it makes it easier to read than just management speak. But I understand how this series could be perceived that way.
    - garply 17y ago
      It's OK to say the word 'fuck' here. But I liked your series. It's inspirational to those of us who haven't made the slam dunk yet, even if you've traded in your entrepreneurial risk profile for that of a more conservative investor (a reasonable move, I might add).
    - deleted 17y ago
      [deleted]
  - davidsmuts 17y ago
    How on earth is this self-congratulatory bullshit? Where's the logic in this statement? Why is it that a guy who bothers to blog about the qualities he feels are crucial to Entrepreneurs' success should be accused of self-congratulation? Where's the ego trip? I don't see it.
- msuster 17y ago
  I honestly think you missed the point of the post. The main point I tried to make was that I get pitched by people all the time who are still in their day jobs. I understand hedging your bets on your startup. I'm just trying to point out (rightly or wrongly) that most VCs will see this as a red flag. How is that self congratulatory bull-shit?
Mz 17y ago
I figured that the alternative was that I start my third company with no salary and all risk. I had nothing to lose! The above remark from the article fits my mindset pretty well. The rest of the article, that talks about what huge risk-takers entrepreneurs have to be and what big balls they need, doesn't resonate with the above remark and doesn't resonate with my understanding of how life works. It strikes me as a misframing of the facts. I agree with many of the anecdotal judgment calls in the article. I just wouldn't frame it as "I said no because his actions proved he lacked cojones". I would say things like "His actions suggested lack of confidence in his own work/product and if he didn't believe in himself, why should I?" or "His actions suggested poor judgment, so it would be unwise to invest in him. The odds of it going badly are too high." If you can Bring It and you know it, you don't need cojones to "gamble" on yourself. There is a huge difference between gambling on something and having confidence in something.

13 points by greyman 17y ago

Self congratulatory bull-shit. Plenty of people become entrepreneurs out of some level of desperation (need to put food on the table!). They learn and with some time they can become excellent - or simply just good enough - at running a business. The 'ballsy' ones are disproportionally represented in the stellar successes camp as well as the miserable failure camp, with the majority of them in the latter. If you are not risk averse at all you will have to be extremely lucky to survive an extended stretch of entrepreneurship. For every phase of managing a company there is a different profile that works best, and the best entrepreneurs are the ones that adapt their personalities to the situation they find themselves in. Serial gamblers can have a winning streak, but they eventually always lose.

onewland 17y ago
This whole series (this article is part 7 of a series of blog posts) seems like it should be titled "Qualities the Author Perceives he Embodies that Lead to his Great Success". I guess that was a long way to call this self-congragulatory bullshit.
- msuster 17y ago
  No, not really. On my blog I often talk about the things that I F'd up along the way. Probably more articles on that than self congratulations. I did some things well, I did some things poorly. I use examples from life because I think it makes it easier to read than just management speak. But I understand how this series could be perceived that way.
  - garply 17y ago
    It's OK to say the word 'fuck' here. But I liked your series. It's inspirational to those of us who haven't made the slam dunk yet, even if you've traded in your entrepreneurial risk profile for that of a more conservative investor (a reasonable move, I might add).
  - deleted 17y ago
    [deleted]
- davidsmuts 17y ago
  How on earth is this self-congratulatory bullshit? Where's the logic in this statement? Why is it that a guy who bothers to blog about the qualities he feels are crucial to Entrepreneurs' success should be accused of self-congratulation? Where's the ego trip? I don't see it.
msuster 17y ago
I honestly think you missed the point of the post. The main point I tried to make was that I get pitched by people all the time who are still in their day jobs. I understand hedging your bets on your startup. I'm just trying to point out (rightly or wrongly) that most VCs will see this as a red flag. How is that self congratulatory bull-shit?

Mz 17y ago

I figured that the alternative was that I start my third company with no salary and all risk. I had nothing to lose! The above remark from the article fits my mindset pretty well. The rest of the article, that talks about what huge risk-takers entrepreneurs have to be and what big balls they need, doesn't resonate with the above remark and doesn't resonate with my understanding of how life works. It strikes me as a misframing of the facts. I agree with many of the anecdotal judgment calls in the article. I just wouldn't frame it as "I said no because his actions proved he lacked cojones". I would say things like "His actions suggested lack of confidence in his own work/product and if he didn't believe in himself, why should I?" or "His actions suggested poor judgment, so it would be unwise to invest in him. The odds of it going badly are too high." If you can Bring It and you know it, you don't need cojones to "gamble" on yourself. There is a huge difference between gambling on something and having confidence in something.