"Thinking about starting a business? Here is why you shouldnâ€™t!"

sandeep · Feb 24, 2013

I came across this discouraging article on this site. What do you guys think? :blah2:

Link: > Thinking about starting a business? Here is why you shouldn’t!

The-J · Feb 24, 2013

All of the points, except for the a**hole one, are 100% correct.

But it comes with the terrain. When you start a business, you're essentially going out into the world, naked, with nothing except a promise to deliver. If you can't deliver the promise, guess what: you've got a failed business, spent time and spent money.

But it's all in how you frame it. A REAL entrepreneur gets excited about the process. A REAL entrepreneur gets excited about the prospects. A REAL entrepreneur devotes his/her LIFE to delivering the promise. And that's why they succeed: because every time they fail, they learn something new. They learn why they failed. Then, they get back up and do it again, failing over and over until they succeed.

Not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur. I wholeheartedly believe this. Not everyone has the skills, the mental fortitude, or the drive. As it should be: we need the 99% to work for us and make us rich.

Kak · Feb 24, 2013

True, but really damn negative. If you dont try something you will be slowlane forever.

sandeep · Feb 24, 2013

Kak said:
He just wants to piss all over business ownership because he has made up his mind that he cant do it. Written by the norm, a slowlane pussy.

But he created two successful businesses like Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics and owns them today. So confusing..

Steve W · Feb 24, 2013

IMHO if your resolve is that fragile that an article like that makes you question your direction then you should probably take it to heart & give up now. Otherwise, take from it what you can & make use of it in a positive way.

santa · Feb 24, 2013

What he doesn't mention is that some are successful (to a degree) at setting certain boundaries or rules that can lessen some of the things he's talking about. But overall, you can see where he is coming from and I think most here would agree with the overall sentiment.
Some of the comments are also worth a read too.
Thanks for the share

1step · Feb 24, 2013

I guess thats one way to look at it.

And if you are being criticized by your family for not being slowlane and want an easy way out I guess you could always point to this article...

Good luck buddy

The-J · Feb 24, 2013

Also: if you look at this article and are scared by it, you'll never be successful. If you're not accepting and welcoming the challenges that lie ahead, well, when you start makin some REAL cash you'll run into bigger and bigger issues that will get you more and more stressed. Customers are the most angry bosses you'll ever have.

InMotion · Feb 24, 2013

Hmmm....I think this article could be spun around.

He says: You don’t have one boss, you have multiple bosses
I say with A Job: You don't have one boss you, you have multiple bosses.

He says: You don’t get to set your own hours.
I say with a Job: You don't get to set your own hours.

He Says: Your business will impact your personal life
I say with A Job: Your Job can impact your personal life (please boss can I take that vacation next year; a friend of mine had to ask off to get married)

He says: The odds are against you.
I say with A Job: The odds are against you. The odds are you wont be there long. The odds are you will never amass any substantial wealth. Odds are you will actually be broke. Odds are your company will get sold at some point and the acquiring firm will lay you off. Odds are if your employer goes broke you lose your retirement.....lots of these odds are.

He says: When it rains, it pours.
I say with a Job: When it rains, it pours but either way it cant rain all the time.

He says: You’ll have to become an a**hole.
I say with A Job. Guess what you need to do in management in order to move up? You guessed it....You’ll have to become an a**hole and some other expletives.

He says: Your lifestyle is going to change.
I say with A Job: Your lifestyle is going to change especially when you get fired or your position is dissolved (for better or worse)

He Says: Success isn’t easy to come by
Me: Uhhh...I thought it was always hard or it wouldn't be called success???

1step · Feb 24, 2013

I agree with what you're saying, it can easily be spun

He says: You don’t have one boss, you have multiple bosses
With A Job: You don't have one boss you, you have multiple bosses.

At least if I dont like my boss (customer), I can just fire them

He says: You don’t get to set your own hours.
With a Job: You don't get to set your own hours.

Nope, but i have a lot more control now then with a job

He Says: Your business will impact your personal life
With A Job: Your Job can impact your personal life (please boss can I take that vacation next year; a friend of mine had to ask off to get married)

Yep, and its not all negative

He says: The odds are against you
With A Job: The odds are against you. The odds are you wont be there long. The odds are you will die broke, the odds are you will stay broke. Odds are your company will get sold at some point and the acquiring firm will lay you off. Odds are if your employer goes broke you lose your retirement.

The odds are always against you with a negative attitude

He says: When it rains, it pours.
With a Job: When it rains, it pours.

Yeah

He says: You’ll have to become an a**hole
With A Job. Guess what you need to do in management in order to move up? You guessed it....You’ll have to become an a**hole

If you have to be an a**hole to run your own company youll have to be an a**hole to have a job with any success

He says: Your lifestyle is going to change
With A Job: Your lifestyle is going to change when you get fired or your position is dissolved.

Change isnt bad, at least you are in control of the change you have a choice

He Says: Success isn’t easy to come by
Me: Uhhh...I thought it was always hard or it wouldn't be called success???

True, if it was easy everyone would have it

InMotion · Feb 24, 2013

This IS a spin zone.

InMotion · Feb 24, 2013

1step said:
The odds are always against you with a negative attitude

Odds have nothing to do with attitude. Does it matter if you are positive or negative when you pull the lever on a slot machine?

1step · Feb 24, 2013

InMotion said:
Odds have nothing to do with attitude. Does it matter if you are positive or negative when you pull the lever on a slot machine?

I guess I was more referring to the way you see the world. "The glass is half empty" opposed to half full

With a negative attitude you will see everything as a huge challenge with insurmountable odds as opposed to the opportunity

I see your point though

Pete799p · Feb 25, 2013

Great points supporting the importance of starting as young as possible. I remember my first business I was happy if I made $20. If I made $100 in a week or a month that was a game changer. As you get older that number keeps going up and I feel that many great ideas are never given a chance because their perceived return is considered too small.

On another note everything he said is true but in my opinion there are the same risks with any type of employment. Unless you have a trust fund at some point you are going to have to face these risks for better or worse. The only thing with starting a business is at least I have the hope that someday I will be wealthy or have the type of life I want.

InMotion · Feb 25, 2013

1step said:
I guess I was more referring to the way you see the world. "The glass is half empty" opposed to half full

With a negative attitude you will see everything as a huge challenge with insurmountable odds as opposed to the opportunity

I see your point though

I see your point as well. Being positive is important, its great in fact, but it does not change math; however, if your odds are increased by making multiple attempts at a particular activity then being positive may help. Being positive may help by encouraging you to make the attempt in the first place or make the attempt multiple times or simply make you feel better. Odds are my math may be off

AgonI · Feb 25, 2013

Oh I skimmed through it real fast, all I have to say is how dare he says all that sh*t and then at the end of the article he is selling a product? He is saying every customer becomes your boss, yet he wants more bosses??? I don't even know why he wrote that article, I lost all my respect for him and unsubscribed from his mailing list.
Anyone who got demotivated by this article is NOT a true entrepreneur/creator and you will most likely fail soon.

InMotion · Feb 25, 2013

AgonI said:
Anyone who got demotivated by this article is NOT a true entrepreneur

This I agree with.

CEBenz · Feb 25, 2013

Linky no worky anymore

1step · Feb 25, 2013

CEBenz said:
Linky no worky anymore

It still works for me on chrome

CEBenz · Feb 25, 2013

1step said:
It still works for me on chrome

Weird. I get a 404.

nzerinto · Feb 25, 2013

Yeah link doesn't work for me either - browsing from Tapatalk on my iPhone.

In any case, Neil is a very smart marketer...he'll write posts like this (judging by your comments I can see what he's said) just to create a stir and get people posting comments and discussing things. It worked....

Halffull · Feb 25, 2013

If you don't already know these things, you shouldn't be going into business. This shit is going to be hard, and thinking it's all roses and sunshine isn't gonna get you very far.

JMitchell · Feb 25, 2013

The more I'm learning about entrepreneurship, the more I'm starting to realize that I'll never be a successful entrepreneur. This guy's article is the last straw -- I'm a pathetic loser and I'll go get a job.

Vigilante · Feb 25, 2013

JMitchell said:
The more I'm learning about entrepreneurship, the more I'm starting to realize that I'll never be a successful entrepreneur. This guy's article is the last straw -- I'm a pathetic loser and I'll go get a job.

:great:

BeingChewsie · Feb 25, 2013

JMitchell said:
The more I'm learning about entrepreneurship, the more I'm starting to realize that I'll never be a successful entrepreneur. This guy's article is the last straw -- I'm a pathetic loser and I'll go get a job.

I'm sure you will be a real asset to your new employer's company. :wtf:

Sue

Kak · Feb 26, 2013

JMitchell said:
The more I'm learning about entrepreneurship, the more I'm starting to realize that I'll never be a successful entrepreneur. This guy's article is the last straw -- I'm a pathetic loser and I'll go get a job.

Holy F*ck. You sir are seriously proving the comment that you just made. I am going to do something I normally don't do for people like you and "prime the pump". If you really do want to own a business someday you need to be SELF MOTIVATED. Start with this book.

Don't even think about making an excuse that you can't read it or you really are a pathetic loser. One that I wouldn't even hire.

AgonI · Feb 26, 2013

BeingChewsie said:
I'm sure you will be a real asset to your new employer's company.

Sue

You mean Mcdonalds?

Kak · Feb 26, 2013

AgonI said:
You mean Mcdonalds?

He would be lucky to get a job there.

JMitchell · Feb 26, 2013

Not even McDonalds would hire me! Apparently my deep-seated misanthropy gets in the way of good customer service...

I guess I'll have to live with receiving hand-outs from the gov't.

CEBenz · Feb 26, 2013

Starting to sound like a troll.

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