Are entrepreneurs masochists?
I had this whole plan to talk about trends and what actually creates a trend but then I thought .. *uck it, let’s talk about the life long thing that is called being an entrepreneur. I call it a thing because there is no word strong enough to underline the amount of love and sweat and energy that goes into creating something from a small seed and trying to make it bloom into an Amazonian forest.
Ultimately, I strongly believe that all entrepreneurs our masochists. I really mean it. But they’re also pretty self confident (or a little reckless…)
Who would be crazy enough to embark on a path where there is absolutely no security net, where your end goals change every month but most importantly where there are no rules.
At first, you might think that no rules is a good thing because “Samantha for HR was such a pain in your old company” and to some extent, I agree, but life with no rules gets pretty messy.
What you thought would be freedom becomes even harder than a day to day office job because no one sets your tasks, your planning, your implication and no one really reviews you so you have to essentially do something you thought you would never do : impose yourself a rigorous routine.
You start free as a bird, loving the first year of your new adventure, it’s exciting, it’s fun, it’s cool, you feel good and to be fair, the hard work doesn’t feel like hard work because you’re “on a mission” so to say.
But then my friends … then … what was freedom becomes a responsibility and a pretty big one if I may add because you’re responsable for every single item that leaves your company with its name on it so essentially that’s everything and anything.
People tell you it’s going to be hard, they actually insist on it. Books have been written on the subject, classes at Harvard Business School have been taught and podcasts (especially this great one) explain to the audience that entrepreneurship isn’t a job, it’s a life long journey… that never ends.
It’s a little like if your friend tells you to go on a hike, you start your journey feeling happy but then you just keep on walking, with no end to it, ever. Sometimes the views are beautiful, sometimes its strenuous, sometimes you can’t breath and sometimes you feel like the luckiest person on earth.
The one bad trait that all entrepreneurs tend to have is that they always seem to believe they can defy anything, any rule, any problem or anything that gets in their way, the whole time.
They see a wall, they turn it into a door - how? By shoving, pushing, working, insisting. But also because they have a vision, they have an end goal and they usually will not stop until that vision has been developed to its fullest potential.
What pushes them to go against a system, have sleepless nights, not be sure of getting a salary at the end of each month?
It goes back to your worth. Entrepreneurs subconsciously believe they are worth more than all of that, more than a regular pay, more than a boss imposing their holidays, more than a couple of rough nights. They believe that their purpose is much higher, much stronger and much richer.
It sounds like a terrible portrait but it's also an addiction. I created Tagwalk because a force within me needed a change in the fashion industry. I was so bored of how the system worked and I truly believe that most entrepreneurs embark on crazy journeys because they have a gut feeling or an idea that defies any rationality.
I wouldn’t swap my ups, my downs but also my journey for anything else or with anyone else but also, I wouldn’t be able to do Tagwalk without my much more pragmatic team that is here to support entrepreneurs and new ideas, it takes two to tango. Us, without them would equal to nothing.
The one thing I have learnt which I will give you here is that: