Natural -Born Entrepreneur

byLouisaB

7.1K followers

7 years ago

The Idea In Brief

It was around 2001, 20 years and four start-ups after Dan Bricklin created the first

electronic spreadsheet, VisiCale, aspiring entrepreneurs often asked him what he'd learned along the way. Besides the need for training, talent, and good timing, he suggests these lessons for surviving the ups and the downs of entrepreneurship:"

Here is What he suggested:

• Understand your true talent and value, appreciate constributions of others, and know when to ask for help.
• Don't wait to get started, or if you do wait, know that eventually you may be less willing to sacrifice your standard of living for the sake of the business.
• Most important, realize that you are not your business. Your company's success or failure does not reflect on your worth as a person.

Bricklin mentioned that his work has been shaped by the idea of being an active participant in making the world a better place. Ultimately, do what you love and don't do it for the dream of money alone.

Learning on the Fly!

He also brought out this intriguing point. "Even with good training and strong motivation, being a successful entrepreneur is tricky. He went on to say that, "You have to live with having control and not having control at the same time."

<<<To learn more>>>See Entrepreneurship.com

Originally published in September 2001

Re-published in HBR.org winter 2016 issue