This post is triggered by Rob's post on how Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (ZAMM) actually can be an inspiration for would-be entrepreneurs. I know it was a huge inspiration for me, and also happens to be one of my favorite books. (Please don't ask me what it is about!) There are some really great lessons in there, which are very well-presented in Rob's post. In fact, a number of my postings end up looking like the Chautauquas - or traveling tales - that Pirsig mentions.
I think at the end of the day, the singlemost important characteristic of any entrepreneur is the sheer love of the game. You got to absolutely love the whole entrepreneurial saga. Not just the specific business you are in, but the whole bloody thing in it's entirety. The ups and the downs, the beauty and the crap, the excitement and the boredom, and everything else that comes along with it.
Even now, once we've reached a certain level of success, there are days when you just feel the dumps. Not too far ago, we had one of those weeks where everything simply went wrong - absolutely wrong! And to get through that, you got to believe that it's a game, and you got to play it like that. The good part is that many of the rules are under your control. You're not a small cog in the larger corporate wheels, driven by their rules. Here, you can play the game the way you want to play - at least most of the time. It's tougher when you're struggling, but you have to believe that this is one game you're just going to win at.
There's also the other related aspect of philosophy. It's really not about the money. You've got to be driven by a deeper underlying philosophy, because that's what'll keep you going through the tough times.
So here's the balance - while you look at the whole thing as a game, you also got to play it with as much sincerity, seriousness, and diligence as you possibly can.
About Me
- Kanwal K Mookhey
- Mumbai, India
- I run an IT Security consulting firm based out of India. We started off from scratch in 2001 when I was 21, and have offices in Mumbai, Bahrain, and UAE. The idea behind the blog is to share the stories of how we run the business, the deals we make, the deals that break, the heartburn, and the sheer joy.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
For the love of the game!
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3 comments:
Hi.
I cannot agree more with this entry about the love of the game. I've always shared with like-minded entrepreneurs on this. Especially like the line, "You got to absolutely love the whole entrepreneurial saga".
For myself, it has always been this love that has kept things going.
Ian,
Read your blog! Loved your posts. I am a big fan of "rationality is over-rated" school of thought. I was once describing to a friend the way I started and now run the company. And he says, so what you're basically saying is "Do whatever feels right, do a lot, see what works, sleep over it, and for all you know, it will all just work out in the end!".
Woe to me - am currently struggling with a business plan to convince venture capitalists about markets and such-like. Won't they buy that I simply feel there's money in my next plan? And that I know it'll be successful - Gartner studies be damned?
Ian,
Thanks for the link! David has a fascinating concept and website. Will drop him a line, and see if he is open to a meeting next time I am in Singapore.
Another couple of interesting and successful stories of non-heirarchical (also non-patriarchal) businesses is Maverick by Ricardo Semler and Aramex (the first Arab company to be listed on Nasdaq).
One of the interesting books I recently read was "On Human Equilibrium" by John Ralston Saul, which talks about the six qualities of Humanism - Common Sense, Ethics, Memory, Imagination, Intuition and Reasoning. None of which occupies the godhead that Rationality has been occuping since Descartes.
Regards,
Intrepid
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