Entrepreneurs Are Not Lucky

Sep 10 2009

Entrepreneurs are Not Lucky

Last week I was talking with someone and made a comment along these lines:

“I’ve been really lucky with Doba and the success I’ve had as an entrepreneur.”

He immediately said to not take offense, but that it bugs him when successful people say they’re “lucky”, because I tried when other people sat at home and didn’t do anything. He had done the same thing for his successful website development and design business: he went out and made it happen. In his mid-sized town, about 50% of the people he knows always talk about starting a business, but never do.

I think 50% is about ballpark for people I know too. Maybe it’s the debt, the perceived risk, the working for free, the hard times it brings to families and marriages, etc. that keep people from taking the leap.

I was relaying this conversation to my wife, and she quipped, “Luck is not getting killed by a giant boulder.”

Good point. Pure luck has no place in discussions about entrepreneurship. There is such a thing as being in the right place at the right time, and being benefited from things you don’t control. But that’s not luck. Roman philosopher Seneca nailed it almost 2,000 years ago:

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

My advice? If you’ve talked or thought about starting a business recently, take a day off from work, from family, and from play and take a bit of a leap. Seriously. Work for 8 hours on your business idea. See if you can’t get a jump start on some preparation.

I dare you to do it. Shoot, I double dog dare you.

And when you do it (or if you’ve already seen preparation pay off) I want to know about it. Comment or email me about your 8 hour leap or other experiences. Prove Mr. Seneca right.