Are you a creator or a consumer? Yes, you!
Everything that you see around you, the bright lights, the various voices screaming, the performances, and those enticing visuals - they are all aimed at the consumer.
The world is built for consumers. Every light you see is meant to attract an audience to sell something to. 99.99% of every system and processes works for and is aimed at the consumer. If you want to be one of the 0.1% that is creating value, you need to stop getting distracted and focus.
There are certain communities that are really good at being entrepreneurs because right from the conversation at the breakfast table to the dining table, the underlying value and reminder is to create value and not become a consumer.
Not saying you can't buy. Creators create 90% of the time and occasionally buy. Consumers exist to buy. Smart creators, even when they buy, they are buying to create assets and not consumables. The times they buy things for pleasure is far far far less.
Stop attending random events. Nobody has ever had a lost startup because they didn't network enough. As an entrepreneur, at any given point in time your 3 goals should be clear. You should be able to recite it clearly. A goal might be that you need to hire for the 3 positions that are open in your startup. A goal might be the 5 new customers that you need to sell to and onboard. A goal might be that you need to improve your operational metrics.
If you are attending an event, you are going to meet specific people, who work somewhere, holding some role, who can help you with one of the top 3 goals. If that level of clarity is not there, don't bother. Meet the people, exchange cards, have a memorable conversation (so that when you drop an email they will recall who you are), and leave. Events are flashy things, sponsored by companies to sell you stuff. Get your job done and move to the next.
Be the entrepreneur who listens to that odd podcast by someone who is in the 0.1% and jots in down, not the consumer who stays up late to watch announcements of products by a brand and itches to handover your money to them. Every product has a value. Divide the cost by the number of days you actually used them. If it didn't create that much value, for every single day - either intangibly or tangibly - you are turning into a consumer.
The greatest lie being sold at the moment is consumers masquerading as creators, and feeling entitled to venture capital so that they have more money to spend.
Entrepreneurs and creators create value - almost out of nothing. If that's not you, you will do everyone a favor by stepping out of line, and letting someone else forward. Don't take up space, where you aren't meant to be.
Did you know the global economy is almost 85 trillion US dollars (as of 2020)? That's 85000 billion dollars. As an entrepreneur, and you are a smart person, you should be able to create value to aggregate a million dollars out of that pie? why haven't you been able to do that?
Club42 is on a mission to enable 150 entrepreneurs to get to their first million. If you are serious about that mission, and run a type 4 business (refer to article), come meet your tribe.