Advice from an Entrepreneur
“Wow, 19 years. That’s impressive.”
Since passing the milestone of 19 successful years in business last month, many people have said something similar to the above expression. Actually, I have heard that often this time of year for several years in a row now. It’s taken me a long time to accept that compliment, but I think I have finally gotten to that point this year.
It has been an incredible journey, and one that I am proud of even while I also recognize there is still a lot more that we want to do.
The thing is, many people newer to the entrepreneurship scene are led to expect a very different trajectory by those involved on the sidelines for a long time. I’m not trying to be overly critical; I understand that an effective way to get people excited about something is to talk about all of the “sexy” stories about exceptional successes and leave out the dull, average experiences. If you don’t take this approach, you might not ignite a passion, right? But… this approach might also bias peoples’ understanding about what to expect when pursuing an entrepreneurial venture. Our success certainly has looked nothing like that rocket ship that we were told to expect...
From my perspective, most everyone getting into entrepreneurship is told to expect one of two scenarios. The exponential, "hold on for your dear life" growth curve, or the rapid "go down in flames, but earn the scars that will make you stronger for the next venture" failure. Our nineteen years of success definitely does not fit into either of those two scenarios! We did not have to abandon our personal lives to build a business. We did not take extreme risks. We did not follow a secret formula for success. And we definitely did not "disrupt" or "transform" any market or industry. But yet, here we are. And I think it is correct to call it success.
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If my last statement resonates with you, I do have some advice. Here are three things Mike and I have done that have contributed to our nineteen successful years in business:
So there you have it. I hope my short advice is useful to anyone that wants to pursue an entrepreneurial venture but has been intimidated by the advice they have heard so far. If you want to talk one-on-one about the details of your particular venture, let me know, I am always interested in helping other entrepreneurs.
Despite hearing, and believing, that same scary advice when we started ("we are either going to make millions and retire early or flame out and then try it again!"), we have taken a different course and persisted. I do think if someone had told me 20 years ago that we didn't have to expect one of two extremes -- it would have taken some pressure off and maybe that alone would actually have helped us speed things up. Regardless, I couldn't be happier and prouder of our journey, and I can't wait to see what else we can do! Thanks for reading.
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2 年Well said, congrats on 19 years!
Assoc. Director of Business Development + Communication, University of Iowa Office of Innovation
2 年I love this, Steve! Congratulations on 19 years!