An Epic Entrepreneurial Journey

A few years ago I read the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey, and recently I read a summary of the book. That brought me to today's topic.  Let us first look at what a habit is. A habit - which can be a good, or a bad thing depending on which way you look at it - is defined as "a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously." The book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" does a great job at outlining, and defining the habits that allow people to experience both private and public victories. I personally believe that by mastering these habits, and experiencing these types of victories it will allow us to make personal paradigm shifts - our paradigm is responsible for the way we interpret our reality. The habits listed in the book are as follows: Habit 1: Be proactive Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind Habit 3: Put first things first Habit 4: Think win-win Habit 5: Seek first to unde...

Throughout the ages many people have asked themselves questions about entrepreneurship? Questions like: Is it something I am born with, or is it something that I choose? How will my family's life be affected if I pursue this path? How do you manage fear, and rejection? And what motivates me to do what I am doing? These along with some other questions, could be used to validate whether or not, you were made to be entrepreneur. I regard asking questions as the starting point to finding out what your calling and passion is in life. From personal experience, I found that the problem with entrepreneurship is that most people don't start by asking themselves questions. When most people think about transitioning from a career to being an entrepreneur, they immediately think about the Musk's, and the Bezos's of the world. They forget to ask themselves important questions about what those individuals did, and what they went through to get to where they are today. In short there ...

 An entrepreneurial journey. What do those words mean to you? It’s a topic I've thought about for as long as I can remember. To me, it’s a heroic journey of self-discovery. And sadly it’s a journey where most people in life only pay attention to the final product of an entrepreneur’s journey.  I have come to realize that there are a few things that really make a true entrepreneur. Two of those things are passion, and the determination to never give up. Those two things separate the ones that always show up, from the ones who always give up. They are two principles that work hand in hand with one another. Without a burning passion, it’s hard to develop a true determination to never give up. I understand passion to be a certain strong feeling, or an uncontrollable emotion about something. One of the things that helped me discover my passion was a book called the "Leaderless Revolution: How Ordinary People Will Take Power and Change Politics in the 21st Century", by Carne Ro...

Today's topic is fear, At some point in our lives we have experienced a form of fear. It is something that everyone experiences at some point in their lives. In my professional career I have seen talented superstars sabotage themselves, because at some point they allowed their fears to determine the direction of their lives. Facing our fears may be one of the hardest things we as individuals may do one day. If we don't face those fears and keep ignoring them, they have the potential to grow into a monster, and before you know it, we living our lives way below our capabilities because we have been paralyzed by the fear. Everybody has their own fears. Some of us have a fear of heights, others a fear of intimacy, then there are financial fears, or a fear of death, and the list goes on. However, if you don't address your fears and allow these fears to control you they can last 30, 40, or even 50 years. I remember talking to my grandmother, and she told me she had a fear of wate...

 Happy International Star Wars day everyone! Today seems as good as any to talk about Entrepreneurship. Doesn't that word just get you fired up? Defined as: "the activity of setting up a business or businesses", it's a word that can either get you excited, or it's a word that can bring you a lot of anxiety. Last week I read a business case from Harvard Business School about the life of Magdalena Yesil, and it really got me thinking. She started off as a product design engineer, transitioned to a product marketing manager, and finally became entrepreneur and angel investor. Some might say that her transitions were flawless, and that she really traveled the road to entrepreneurship (Starting in a job, finding your passion, and then starting a company built around that passion). The question I want to ask is, how do we define an entrepreneur's journey? Does it star with self-discovery at a very young age? or does it start by getting a job you like/don't like ...