Thursday, September 22, 2005
Some thoughts on Entreprenuership...
This is something I had written for entreprenuers and through this I got in touch with a group of entreprenuers in bangalore called the bootstrapers. This article is posted on their yahoo group. Click here to view the page. This group symbolises all that I have spoken, take a look at the group by clicking here.
What drives an entreprenuer is the spirit of creating something, like a mother who gives birth to a child. We are ferocious and gentle, encouraging and punishing, all depending on what stage our idea is in. Once I have said this, I would like to add that it is important to have social acceptance, others saying that it is possible, or at least giving suggestions as to how to make it work. Its just TOO EASY to strike off an entreprenuer and if the entreprenuer is as normal a human as me, then the venture is destined to fail because "Might is Right". Right?
What I hope can be achieved through this forum or group of people is a watering hole for the tired and tattered soul and ego of any entreprenuer, who has faced the wall and is ready to give up. But I am not talking only about giving hope to the soul, but also giving good food and water, to get them back on their feet again and fight the wall yet again.
The idea I am toying with is almost the same as the bootstrapers and other incubators of the world, but with a little more added to it. I am talking about wishing entreprenuers coming together and talking about each other's ideas and ventures and contributing (not being only a passive listener) to a selected venture in whatever way they can (not only money, any way will do). Once a venture succeeds, it can be let out in the world with one or selected people from the founding team going with it. The rest would stay back and talk and contribute to another person's idea.
Think about it. A lot of venture fail the first time failure knocks and we all know that if you can get through enough failures, you are bound to succeed. All I am suggesting is that we should become a team of people with small resources with each one, but a huge pool of resources in cumulation to assist any new venture from within us or any tired venture from outside and get it back on its feet. No we should not only be investing or consulting or incubating or advising. Instead we should do all of that albeit as insiders. Help the venture, stabilize the venture, grow the venture, and finally go with the venture or go to the next venture that needs you.
You will ask me what is the difference. The difference is the same as between a Teacher and a Mother. This group should not only talk about entreprenuership, but practice it, but at the same time not become like a typical incubator, where once the birth is given the venture goes out on its own. The one who feels most attached to the venture can go with it. The others who want more adventure in the true spirit of an entreprenuer will stay back and build more ventures.
We can all come together and start this group. More will join us. We will start many ventures. All will fail. We will cry, fall back on each other and start many more ventures. Then one fine day, one venture will succeed. It will become big and then some of us will follow that venture and manage it. Others will stay back and start some more ventures. More will join us. Then through this long cycle of failures and victories we would have many successful ventures to show for our lives. And some day, God willing, this group will cease to exist when all of us would have become tired of starting ventures and would have settled in managing the ventures we would have followed.
"Love what you do and you will never need to work again."