Being an Entrepreneur

If you are reading this, then I assume that you are a budding entrepreneur. So have you ever thought what enthuses you, and so many guys like you, to try being an entrepreneur. I believe I am talking to people who are really passionate about starting-up; passionate to an extent where you do not know what to start with, but you are sure that you want to startup something.

This passion is the driving force for most entrepreneurs, and bundled with passion comes energy, loads of it. The right combination leads to the making of a successful entrepreneur. The ideal age for starting-up, in my personal opinion is the twenties. Reasons, one, the youthful vigor and thrill-seeking attitude that builds up slowly during the teens, maximizes in the twenties and thereafter, tends to fade away, although not necessarily. Two, most people are free from family responsibilities in this phase, and are more likely to take and survive the risks and the strenuous working hours. This is my impression based on most of the success stories I have come across, and it’s not a theory in any way. I have seen Adobe being founded by two guys in their forties and I have seen a nineteen year old kid deliver Firefox. As I said earlier, the driving force is the right combination of passion and vigor, which I believe, comes in the twenties for most people.

The above discussion is incomplete in the sense that so many people have the passion and vigor, some even have the idea, and some have funds as well. Yet, not everybody can do this successfully – we all have seen people with, seemingly, all the right combinations try and fail at entrepreneurship. The question is what makes an entrepreneur, what are the essential skills, and most importantly, where does the difference lie?

I have a strong opinion that the basic skill of an entrepreneur lies in building a team and more importantly, leading the team. Along with this, he should have elementary skills and understanding of all related departments, for each of which he can always have a specialized person as manager. But, building a team definitely comes with a lot of expenses, so it is very important to for the entrepreneur to prioritize what kind of people need to come first and how their capabilities need to be exercised and utilized to take the venture in a positive direction. Another important role of the entrepreneur is one of a decision-maker, which is continuous and non-transferable in nature.

This is an open discussion. Please do leave your views on the subject so that we could have a live discussion here itself.