It feels great to call ourselves “founders.”
Entrepreneurship is hot and sexy right now.
I’ll admit it. There’s something that lights up inside when people find out that I’m an entrepreneur. I think the warm fuzzy feeling is pride.
It’s status. It’s reputation.
But is it actually real?
What makes us feel fuzzy?
There are probably a billion and one different reasons why we enjoy telling others that we’re founders.
I’ll speak personally here.
Admittedly, I get revved up because others may not fully understand what it means to be an entrepreneur. To others, entrepreneurship is glamorous.
Some of my non-entrepreneur friends think that I do whatever I want whenever I want.
They see that I get to travel all the time to super fun places.
But what they don’t see is that I may not even leave the hotel room when I’m traveling. They don’t often see the late nights I sit up working.
Still, it’s that misunderstanding that makes me feel fuzzy inside.
It’s not healthy, by the way. And I’m not claiming that I’m feeling the right feels. I’ve actually chosen to try and eliminate the ego associated with this feeling. That’s a personal decision, not a prescription.
Anyways, let’s make a distinction here.
There’s a difference between a losing entrepreneur and a winning entrepreneur.
Winning entrepreneurs are building things that are actually valuable. We know something is valuable if people are paying for it or using it.
Building valuable things—that’s the name of the game.
Make note: winning entrepreneurs also lose. In other words, even winners lose. But it’s what they do after the loss that’s so important to winning.
Regardless of if you’re a winning entrepreneur or a losing entrepreneur, remember this.
None of us are entitled to success.
Becoming an entrepreneur doesn’t mean we’re entitled to success.
This is especially important to remember because of the current culture of entrepreneurship that falsely promises personal freedom.
Great marketers have made it so that we believe the only path to satisfaction is to start your own company. To live out our destiny, we’re told that we need to become a founder.
Maybe that’s true, and maybe it’s false.
My point is that whether entrepreneurship is the path destined for you or another path is the better option, no path promises success.
Losing the entitlement will help us win the game.
Would you like to help us shatter stereotypes about men?
Receive stories from The Good Men Project, delivered to your inbox daily or weekly.
—
Photo: Flickr/Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington