An idea fertilises with a mind to give birth to an entrepreneur. The life of an entrepreneur is not an easy one. Extinction in the form of death is always lurking around the corner the first mistake can be the last. And yet, as the entrepreneur progresses from childhood to maturity, there is a thrill that nothing else can quite match. For adventure seekers, an entrepreneurial venture is the ultimate challenge. So, what are the challenges that entrepreneurs face during their early years? This is what we will examine in this series.
Embryo
The pre-birth stage of an entrepreneurs life has a key question that needs answering: to make the leap or not. Even as there is a day job, the mind roams free imagining various new worlds and ideas which can be created. At the same time, there are many concerns where will the capital come from, what if one fails, does one have the capability to become an entrepreneur. In many ways, at this time, it is better not to know how high the mountain that needs to climbed is because then the journey may not even start.
For many, this stage is where the mind games never end. The infinite series of What-Ifs always scare. For many, the risks of being an entrepreneur are too high when the only guaranteed reward is the journey. There comes a time when one must make the decision to jump in, or forget about it. While opportunities are always there, there is always a crunch time for an entrepreneur-to-be. There is a wafer-thin margin which separates the two worlds one with its clear, laid-out path up the corporate ladder, and another with its glorious uncertainties. It is a mind game, and which only the prospective entrepreneur can play out.
For me, the decision to become an entrepreneur was made very early in life. It is what my father had done, and it seemed the logical thing for me to do. The seed was sown at home in what I saw of my father. Even when I worked in the US for a couple years, I realised it was only a matter of time that one day, the calling would reach a crescendo, and I would have to heed its call. After two years of working, I finally called it quits and embarked on life as an entrepreneur. There were many ideas of what I wanted to do the primary one being to build a software products company out of India. It was a dream that would have to wait a decade before I got an opportunity to try to make it happen.
I am now in my third innings as an entrepreneur. The first lasted two-and-a-half years and ended in failure. The second lasted five years and ended in my business being sold. The third began two years ago. How it will end I do not know. What I can say is that each of the experiences has been unique and challenging in its own right.
Tomorrow: An Entrepreneurs Early Days (continued)
