An article was shared on social media last week about entrepreneurs and
risk.
The author argued that entrepreneurs don't have any special genes for risk, and the only ones who make it are those who come from money and have a safety net to fall back on.
So apparently success doesn't come from things like talent, hard work, or perseverance.
Hogwash, I say (If her article wasn't online, it would make good toilet paper)
My two cents:
Starting with few resources can actually be an advantage in business.
Without a big buffer of cash, you're not going to be tempted to take your foot off the gas and coast.
You *have* to make it, since you don't have a plan B.
To use an old analogy, you're "burning your ships" and fighting until your last breath, since you can't retreat and sail off the entrepreneurial island.
When I started my coaching business in 2014, I was coming off a business closure a few years earlier and I didn't have the resources that I once had to put into my new business.
At first I saw this as a disadvantage, since I wasn't able to throw money at ads, fancy funnels, and the things that I supposedly needed.
Looking back, I can see that the lack of a war chest was actually a good thing. The silver lining was it forced me to roll up my sleeves and put a lot of work into getting my message out there organically.
Those efforts helped me clarify my message more than just throwing money at ads would have.
I'm not suggesting that it can't help to have money in the bank when starting your business. It gives room for error and the ability to try things that you can't without it.
But entrepreneurs who agree with the author (and there were plenty on Facebook who did) are playing the victim card.
Whining and crying about other's "privilege" isn't going to get you closer to success.
As Michael Gerber wrote in "The E-Myth":
“The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary man takes everything either as a blessing or a curse".
If you're a winner, and not a whiner, you could be a good fit for this:
Marc