Today on Twitter I was led to a post by Mike Hudack (CEO of blip.tv) and found the following diagram:

Here is what I completely agree with:

• You can’t move markets alone! You need to do it with your team, a group of entrepreneurs, and… your customers!  If you let your ego cloud your sense of reality with visions of grandeur, you will be just another failed “entrepreneur”.

However, after 12 years of experiencing “startup scars,” I disagree with two elements of the diagram above:

• Effectiveness over masochism of “busy-work”. Startups do need visionaries and those ready to move mountains. But, I think there is too much glorification of 100-hour weeks and self-abuse. “Hockey-stick” growth happens with effective execution; not with everybody conducting “death marches”. We can’t deny the endless research showing that exhaustion’s effects on brain function leads to less effective decision making.” Spend less time playing around, reveling in being a startup, and creating huge plans. Rather, start piloting, getting ideas into manageable actions, and getting things done! Too many entrepreneurs focus on their foosball tables, funky offices, endless beer in the fridge, etc.
• Having dreams and visions about your product does not make you a good entrepreneur. Get an idea of the direction you want to go and speak with prospective customers! Steve Blank preaches this, along with an increasing number of entrepreneurs that  have decades of experience under their belts.  We need to be excited about our customers paying us to solve their problems.

If I were to create a diagram, I would have the following items instead:

• Are you ready to fail?
• Are you ready to fail many times in order to succeed once?
• Do you know what the definition of “madness” is?
• Do you get so attached to your ideas that you won’t let others mold them? (No – means you are an ego-maniac not an entrepreneur)
• Do you understand that being persistent and resilient requires you to be very flexible?
• Are you willing to clean your own toilets, sweep you own floors, and clean up after your employees had lunch? (No – stay in the corporate world)
• Do you think that being a founder/co-founder makes you a CEO? (No – the right answer. Yes – this means you are in it for the ego, not for the money)
• Are you in this for the money or to prove something? (Right answer: money)
• Do you think startups are small copies of large corporations? (Yes – startups are not for you)

Big part of the reason I chose to write this post (including encouragement by Justin Whitaker) is because we have too many people thinking they’re entrepreneurs. They see an over-glorified simplification of what it takes to succeed and jump in lacking a full understanding. Too many naïve (often young and inexperienced) folks get into entrepreneurship and cost vendors, creditors, investors, and themselves money and real resources. Many times you are better off working for someone, accumulating some real world experience, building up scar tissue, and only then venturing out to become an entrepreneur.

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