Why you should not be an Entrepreneur [And why I am still an Entrepreneur!]

December 12, 2008

By sinha

[Nikhil V, Founder of letshead.to shares few hard reality of being an entrepreneur - and yet, why he is still one! Being a college grad to launching a magazine to going bankrupt and bouncing back - do read his story!]

Everyone talks about how ‘cool’ and glamorous Entrepreneurship is. Its almost become like a fluffy parallel universe whose inhabitants have 5 arms, 4 legs and 3 eyes.

Since everyone is so seduced by entrepreneurship, let me take this opportunity to tell you why you should NOT be an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship is for fools

Its for people who believe so blindly in something, that nothing will stop them from achieving it. They could go mad, lose their marriages, break relations with family, give up their education – nothing will stop them.

An entrepreneur is someone who lives by the words ‘No Matter What’.

Isn’t it easier to be a sleaze? To give that hidden middle finger to your boss when he asks you to do something? To know fully well that your boss will get fired by his higher up if you are not productive? That its totally OK to not finish something? That you always have other options? That there is always an easier way out?

Entrepreneurship is for people who want to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders

Its for people who want to solve the world’s problems. Its for people who think it is upon them to be ‘The One’. People who are actually delusional enough to think that they are like Neo from the Matrix? That if they stop doing what they are doing, the world will crumble and lives will be lost.

Isn’t it easier for someone else to do the worrying? To chill out, relax and laugh at people stressing out? To know fully well that someone else will clean up your mess? That you left the world exactly the way it was, and did nothing to change it? Do you really want to be responsible for people’s salaries, happiness, and putting their children in a good school?

Entrepreneurship is for Visionaries

Its for people who don’t live in the present – people who think they can alter the course of destiny for the planet. People who always think there is a better way of doing something. People who can see the future, and stake their lives to make it a reality.

Isn’t it easier to just do what is told to you? To just finish the day’s tasks and forget about work till the next morning? To use the current solution, however inefficient it is? To only think about getting married, having kids and settling in life? To leave predicting the future to a palmist or an astrologer? After all Astrologers and Palmists have an easier job, they just predict the future and leave it – these mad entrepreneurs will actually go and make it happen.

Entrepreneurs are Fighters

Its for mad guys who like to fight till their last breath. For people who will keep on breaking – barriers, ceilings, impossibilities, resistance, competitors or whatever is thrown in the way. For people who will keep on punching till the opponent begs for mercy, no matter how much they themselves bleed. For those who just cant stay away from a challenge.

Why do you wanna get hurt? Why do you wanna break barriers? Isn’t it easier to just let people be, and barriers stop you? If something is impossible, why challenge it? Who gives a damn about competition anyway – its your boss’s problem!

Entrepreneurs make pots of Money

Its for those who want to create huge amounts of wealth. Enough for them to make a pile and swim in it. To be able to blow it up buying fancy cars and huge mansions. More importantly, its for those who want to create pots of wealth for those who work with them – to see their employees buy all these fancy things. Most importantly, To create funds, and give back to society and the economy.

Who cares about giving back to society? Why be so altruistic? Isn’t it enough to just find a better paying job, save properly and make sure your children study in good schools? Why bother about your colleagues?

Entrepreneurs change lives

Its for those who change the lives of people around them, and in the entire process have their own lives changed. For those whose lives are not the same once they embark on the journey. For those who grow into Superman, Batman, Shaktimaan and Hanuman all in one. Those who seek to attain mastery over their art because they have no choice but to be the best at it for their startups. For those who know that their team’s lives will not be the same once they are done with the startup.

Why do you want to be Shaktimaan? Why do you want to attain mastery over anything, when one can just Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V? Why do you want your life to change, when everything is so nice and normal?

Entrepreneurs are Survivors

Its for those who can be thrown into an island full of monkeys, devoid of human beings, and they will still manage to build a roaring business by finding a neighboring island with humans and export coconuts to them while having taught the monkeys the basics of economics, and living a luxurious life. For those mad guys who can survive a nuclear holocaust. For those who can turn the proverbial eskimo into a Ice cube franchisee. For those who can not only survive, but make the most of it.

Why look for opportunity when all you need is to survive? If there is a nuclear holocaust, then why not just accept it, and die the way god intends you to? Why struggle to breathe, when you can just slip into a peaceful happy sedated coma?

Ladies and Gentlemen. Entrepreneurship does all of this to you.

I was a confused 20 yr old who hated college. I was insecure about who I was, scared that I was wandering about aimlessly and had zero self confidence.

Then – I started a magazine! An industry that has a 90% plus failure rate – that too for a kid with no background in publishing, writing and no money! Sure, I could have started something a little more achievable, but being young and reckless comes with its madness.

So I started ‘Strange Brew’ – a 28-48 page full color magazine which ran for 6 issues and was a big hit with the readers but a mega flop with advertisers. And knowing nothing about funding, VCs and financing did not help at all! So the print magazine crashed, I burned with a massive debt, abused by the 20 odd ppl working with me, dumped by my girlfriend, almost got thrown out of home a million times and other unspeakables.

Today Strange Brew is relaunching as an online magazine having paid off all our debts, and is doing thriving business as a media company making videos for global companies, NGOs and other prominent clients. Its running itself with an awesome team, and I dont even need to be around for it to grow.

I started a company called Strange Labs and we run www.letshead.to which is a web concept that partners with Restaurants, Nightclubs, Cafes etc and we have a totally new way for them to get customers and do sales. I work with a team of 7 Superstars, and we will stop at nothing to grow it into a gazillion dollar venture. And my life absolutely rocks!

Entrepreneurship changed my life, and gave me much much more than I bargained for.

Are you up for it?

Tags: entrepreneurial tales, Entrepreneurship, inspiration, startup

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Author

anzz on December 12, 2008 at 6:06 pm

Bravo!

Do what you love? (Want to be good) | Annkur on December 12, 2008 at 6:28 pm

[...] Update: Read here – Why not to be an Entrepreneur!! [...]

Annkur on December 12, 2008 at 6:47 pm

Nice one Nikhil … Your words make me feel normal.

Thx

Deepti on December 12, 2008 at 7:04 pm

woah Nikhil!!!the madness makes the Entrepreneur alive…
n it is contagious!!!!
Never before,
had i read a description so complete that pulled,yanked,tugged, and swung all my reasons , reaffirming my point to be one soon
cheerz!!!!
Stay crazy!!!!

Chirag on December 12, 2008 at 7:11 pm

Neat ‘Neo’!

Entrepreneurship is for fools - read this story - CrazyEngineers Forum on December 12, 2008 at 8:46 pm

[...] for fools – read this story I stumbled upon this inspiring article on Pluggd.in. Read this : An Entrepreneur’s Story – Why you should not be an entrepreneur |Technology and Business Startups … What do you think? __________________ -The Big K- Founder & Administrator ? The Big K?s [...]

Sumeet on December 12, 2008 at 8:58 pm

Three cheers to all fools/visionaries/fighters/change agents/survivors !

Entrepreneurship is addictive…is about self actualization…is about daring

jayant sharma on December 12, 2008 at 9:42 pm

Damn f**king cool..!! Hats off to you for sharing all this.
Look fwd to letshead.to becoming a big force..

Good stuff dude..you inspire!

Mahesh T on December 13, 2008 at 2:43 am

Hi! Nikhil

Glad to know that you cleared your debts and spring back to chase your dreams…

While reading articles on Entrepreneurship, i get really curious Hope this conversation will quench some of that curiosity…

Why is Entrepreneurship made such a big deal, defined using very heavy terms and coated with so much pep-talk [Eg: carry weight of the world, visionary, survivor, change-agents etc..] Does it have to this complex? Why do simple themes/sentences lost in the narrative?

Does something along these lines makes sense: If there is an idea you like to pursue, just go for it. The journey will be memorable and its highly recommended. As a side-effect, Maybe you’ll make a better world, change lives, mint money, become a visionary, etc… Hopefully, going for it doesn’t involve any extreme steps like taking a huge loan, selling your kidney or running away from basic responsibilities.

-Mahesh
Celebrating Life…

Want short and sweet reviews over SMS? Visit: http://www.rbag.in

Mahesh T on December 13, 2008 at 2:48 am

Oops! a typo:
Why do simple themes/sentences lost in the narrative?
to
Why are simple themes/sentences lost in the narrative?

saltpop on December 13, 2008 at 11:44 am

What a jerk. You’re so full of yourself. You’re going to change the world?

Prashant Singh on December 13, 2008 at 2:42 pm

@saltpop : ya right and whats ur contribution to humanity ?? art of anonymous comment spam ?

Amogh Masur on December 14, 2008 at 11:22 pm

These are the kind of experiences that need to be written about and then read by the vast majority who think the world is an ideal place to live in with no problems. The know how of making an ideal place is something which can only be gained by experiences.
Super article Nik….keep it going!!

Deepti on December 15, 2008 at 4:32 pm

@ Mahesh
Nothing gets lost in narrative..
Nor is it..much ado about nothing…
It’s just the way of Life..of an Entrepreneur..as u reach the fruition of ur dreams turning em into a living reality…
it is not about selling ur kidney..it is about selling ur idea,n never giving up on ur goal…
It is about the fire in your eyes which sparks u,making u push the limits..even when things are bleak..
where “no” is never a plausible answer..ever
It is this way…or no way…

…It’s all within You…

Mahesh T on December 15, 2008 at 7:22 pm

When a narrative is weaved around a valuable message, I agree that nothing is lost. In fact, its wonderful when that happens. But, what I mostly see is using narrative and flowery language and cover up for lack of substance in the argument.

Fire in your eyes, having a spark, pushing limits…. are all beautiful phrases to explain the experiences of ones journey. Pontificating, you need to be visionary, carry weight of the world , have a spark and push limits is total crap and missing the point.

Its important to encourage/help one to start the journey and discover for one-self what it feels like and know ones strengths, grasp the potential etc.. There are no pre-conditions to start an entrepreneurial journey. A lot of what is written is a side-effect of starting the journey and how people perceive their journeys. But, rubbed on others without much thought.

-Mahesh
Celebrating Life…

PS: Selling your kidney was a metaphor to explain, that there are some absolutely stupid things which should not be done.

- Deepti on December 16, 2008 at 9:06 am
  
  aah..so real life stories of the present day entrepreneurs..didn’t make a mark on you, in a way it was described..huh?
  hmm.
  U shall get examples soon and then U decide..
  And as u rightly said, there are no preconditions..the ones mentioned above are merely the common attributes seen in most of these ‘dreamers’..and what makes em go on, through tough times..
  Maybe it seems over the top for the ones outside the circle, but it rings true to the ones in it..
  Yup..like ur kidney..u don’t sell ur soul…just the way..U dont give up on ur dream..u r right…there are some absolutely stupid things which should not be done…
  Thank You Mahesh
  
  - Mahesh T on December 16, 2008 at 2:08 pm
    
    “Sell your kidney OR Sell your soul”. Hmmn….
    —-
    “You can either punch the one you love the most OR bang your head”.
    Question: What will you do?
    Answer: This is “False Dichotomy”. I don’t play the game with stupid rules
    —-
    
    There are a lot of nice-to-listen stories in the world than real stories. Very few people write real stories and most of the time they aren’t “popular” because we are biased to read a story with exaggerations, catches our fancy, narratives and flowery language. Did you hear Narayan Murthy’s comment on why he doesn’t want to write the story of Infosys? It reads like this:
    “We founders will be biased. I don’t think we have the courage or the confidence to write the whole story. Let someone else write a story based on our archives”
    
    My point is: Be careful about what people say about how their journey *was*. Instead, Focus on starting your journey on your own terms and be prepared for experiences in the journey, different from what others tell you.
    
    -Mahesh
    Celebrating Life…

Deepti on December 17, 2008 at 10:31 am

bang on target…the idea is about penning a biography(not an autobio,mind U ,as that would be biased,as rightly said..)that’s closer home..
n yes..i understand your view point as well..
What both you n Nikhil have expressed,are viewpoints that are in tandem.. & not extreme ends of the spectrum.
DAnke

Anon on January 7, 2009 at 12:20 am

Realized I am in the first part of this whole thing. I just got dumped by my girlfriend – recuperating from the trauma since I was the faithful kind. The company I started is about to close in a month and now I am looking for a job to repay the house loan. Times are pretty darned hard right now.

But reading your article brought that glitter in my eyes. I have just been introduced to my entrepreneurial side. In a hard way .. as it should be. And I am positive it will return soon. Thanks for sharing this. Reassured me I am not a lonely fool after all!

Cheers and good luck.

Brijesh Tripathi on April 1, 2009 at 2:16 pm

Terrific article, very well put — highly inspiring, especially for those who keep dreaming of taking the ‘plunge’. The problem here is — yes, i want to do that, just have to find what is that ‘that’?!
It would happen and will post it then — till then, i’ll keep dreaming.