In an article featured in Inc. magazine recently, Reddit co-founder and start-up enthusiast Alexis Ohanian was asked the question: Are you done founding companies?
and gave the following answer:
“I can’t say never, but I have no interest in doing another start-up. There are things I would have done differently, but overall, I’m really satisfied. It’s also a lifestyle decision. I dont work much less than I did as a start-up founder, but I’ve got less mental anguish. Start-ups are for crazy people. I should know; I was one.”
The title of the article was: “Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Startups?
In the article Ohanian argues that anyone can be an entrepreneur. But does that mean everyone should be one?
Well, seeing that I’m currently in the midst of starting up 9 new businesses, it got me thinking: Am I totally Crazy Then?
The good thing at least is that I have gone through start-up businesses before. I have founded several and I have co-founded a few. Not all of them have been successful, but unfortunately even that is to be expected. You have probably heard and read numerous times over that most new businesses actually fail. I believe the most quoted number is about 85% of new businesses than don’t make it through the first 5 years (or was it just through the first year alone?).
I can probably relate to Ohanian’s comment about anguish. Start-ups can be quite a nerve-wrecking thing to go through, but usually also very exciting (in good as well as bad ways).
You do your due diligence. You make your projections. You look at budgets and market opportunities. And you weigh in and out all sorts of scenarios and questions. Regardless, you will probably not have thought of absolutely everything or every contingency. You will more than likely be thrown a curve ball or two.
But then again, this is partly was makes it interesting too.
If it was easy, everyone would do it.
And if everyone would do it, it wouldn’t be that interesting or indeed special when you hopefully turn out to be one of the successful few.
Should everybody be an entrepreneur?
No. Not at all, I would say. It’s definitely not for all.
Yet, at the same time, I’m personally so hooked on it, that I often cannot grasp why everybody wouldn’t want to be one.
But we are all different and thank goodness for that. Wouldn’t it be boring if we were all the same.
Along the same lines as these thoughts, I also happened to come across a video that I thought was very relevant. I’m pleased to present to you said video here:
