Creating the entrepreneur and the values they stand for
Consistent actions taken over time will create your industry reputation. They will also create your entrepreneurial reputation. Some of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time were also some of the most calculated risk takers. It wasn’t that they risked it all — far from it. They took calculated risks where they saw great opportunity and they went for it. They pursued it. They pursued it despite others not seeing it, despite others mocking them, despite little outside support. They had a burning vision that they could not extinguish.
These guys are persistent and consistent. They do not stop. They define and keep getting after what it is they want. And they employ dogged persistence until they get it. This is one of the reasons we admire them so much: because they pursue what burns inside of them with a vengeance. They are persistent well beyond most of us, to a fault. They don’t know when to stop because they just don’t stop. We like the fact that they do this. They’re setting the standard. They’re raising the bar for us all. They’re making us do things we didn’t know we were capable of. They’re leading us and their industry.
They have a burning vision of where they want to go and where they want to take their industry. They might not know exactly how to get there but they’re going anyway. They might not have everything they feel they need to get going, but they begin. They really only need gumption and hard work to get after it. Interesting, they attract followers due to their inspiration and communication that vision to others. They say something simple, “Let’s go to Mars!” or, “$25 fares to the Caribbean.” And then they execute on it. Note this is not flawless execution. It is simply executing where they see it fit.
The early years are difficult. You’re finding your footing. You’re determining who your best customers are. You’re refining your marketing and selling process. You’re seeing what works and what doesn’t. YOu’re experimenting. If you’re smart, you never stop experimenting. You’re always trying to improve upon the last marketing campaign, the last business process, the last sale. It takes serious persistence and gumption to make it through the first few years. Many don’t have it and quit. But there are plenty who do have it, who maintain through the early business storms, who make it happen. Plenty who believe in their own abilities to figure things out and, thus, they do. If you can withstand the early years of a business venture, you can withstand anything. This is another reason why we love entrepreneurs so much: they have tons of stick-to-itive-ness. They persist. They tinker. They tackle challenges unlike just about any other species. And, despite the occasional loss, they win. Often. And they deserve it. Many people admire them because they feel that they cannot do it themselves, that these people are doing the impossible, creating something wonderfully valuable out of nothing. And they are.
