An Entrepreneur's Vision

The people who move the world forward are those that make the biggest sacrifices. They challenge institutions, they are looked upon as rebels and they fight harder than anyone else. 

Why? 

For one simple reason: they want to live in a better world. A more comfortable world. A more connected world. A world that has solutions to problems - easy and hard. And for this one reason alone - entrepreneurs are rewarded handsomely when they succeed. And if that financial payday doesn't come, they reap their rewards via experiences. Anyone can be a millionaire if they don't live life. 

Not entrepreneurs. They leverage everything they have - they are the first ones to clear out their bank accounts and then ask friends and families to do the same. 

As I've built PaLaCart over the past few years, I've been privileged to meet so many entrepreneurs who are making the world a better place in their own way. 

A friend is building an ed-tech company. Another is making it easier for investors to track their investments. A third is making communication easier. And dozens others. 

Outsiders often criticize entrepreneurs - the market is not big enough, the idea is dumb, the team is inexperienced, the product will never work, etc. But outsiders are outsiders for a reason - they don't have the entrepreneur's vision. 

Entrepreneurs don't start companies because it's an easy path to success. Sure, some have gotten lucky. However, more often than not, building a company is a lot of work. It requires far too many sacrifices. But, entrepreneurs stick to their vision. 

That vision is simple - to make their product better than anything else available and to solve a problem. How do you challenge that vision? How do you challenge an entrepreneur's vision to make the world a better place, so that you, your family and the next generation of people to occupy our places can live in a better world?

You don't. 

On scary decisions

One of my favorite pieces of content is The Risk Not Taken by Andy Dunn. If you've ever had to make a tough decision, I would highly recommend reading it. 

Scary decisions are not unique to entrepreneurs. They are universal as people go from one phase of their life to another. Whether it's dropping out of school or proposing to your girlfriend or moving to a country 10 time zones away. . 

For entrepreneurs, this decision is compounded by the fact that once you take the leap into being involved in a start-up full time, your entire life changes - stability gets thrown out the window, friendships start deteriorating and on some days, stress levels make you question if any of this is worth it. 

Here's the thing - it depends on who you are and your ability to stomach all the ups and downs while building a company, managing your employees, reporting to your board and working on your personal life. The only thing I can say for certain is that it you always need to be pushing forward. Building a company is not an easy task. It is one that requires determination to succeed when the entire world is against you. 

But, scary decisions are easily mitigated by knowing that despite success or failure, you can always go back to your previous life. It may take you a bit longer, but your perspective and outlook on everything will change - regardless of outcome. 

Scary decisions are only scary because of the unknown. And to quote H.P. Lovercraft:

““The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown” ”

The best thing about scary things? They're temporary. They last for a quick second and then they're gone. 

Balance

Every few months, I end up taking a solo trip for the sole purpose of clearing my head. That definitely doesn’t sound amazing. Or fun. But, it is exhilarating.

I’m writing this from a no frills hotel in Quito, Ecuador. I arrived here on Saturday night after flying nearly the entire day, spent all of yesterday exploring the city and most of today either working or napping. I depart in a little over 12 hours and I couldn’t have been more glad about this time off.

Being an entrepreneur is a funny thing – you invest so much of your time and heart into focusing on one product, but the reality of the world comes striking down on you at some point. Call it survival. Call it reality. Or, like most people – call it fear. I call it energy to double down and push through hard and fast.

I’m fortunate enough that I have nearly unlimited resources to travel the world without making a significant impact on my bank balance. But, at the end of the day, even a 3 day trip such as this drives people to reality. In this case, reality being that having the best job in the world requires sacrifices that most people will never ever understand.

Ask anyone who has started a company. If they haven’t been through the insane highs and the brutal lows, they haven’t pushed themselves hard enough.

And often times – this is what makes my job the greatest job in the world. It requires a ton of sacrifices, but the rewards and the journey balances the entire thing out.

So, to those with all work and no play – get a balance.

And to those with all play and no work – what’s your secret? ;-)

Let Kids Play

I was walking to work yesterday morning, enjoying the 30 degree weather in New York (note: that’s freezing) and I saw a family taking photos around the Wall Street area. Unlike most families on vacation, the Dad or the Mom weren’t the only ones taking photos. I saw a young kid around 9 years old, taking photos with her iPod touch. And she wasn’t being rushed by her parents.

Technology has made life easier. Tasks have been simplified and life has become a tad bit convenient. But, along the way, people stopped playing and experiencing things around them. As someone who has a viewfinder stuck to his eye on most trips, I am definitely guilty of this.

But – technology has also made people intuitive and creative. When I see a 9 year old taking photos on something that she uses on a daily basis – that’s a big step forward. Not only will she edit those photos on a device that didn’t exist 10 years ago, but she will be able to share content with her friends.

When I was a kid, this sort of technology was not embedded in my day-to-day activities. I had to learn the hard way. I did. And I had a lot of fun doing so along the way.

The next generation is going to be far different. These kids are being born into a world where social networks and mobile devices are the norm. And these items truly inspire and drive creativity – simply because they are having fun.