Can too much determination be fatal for an entrepreneur?
Personal sacrifice comes with the label entrepreneurship. As one, I tend to put many aspects of my life behind BeConnections. I call it determination, but could an overdose of this be cancerous?
I had a meeting on Sunday in Manhattan and decided to come into the city a day early to see my friends from college. We dined at a Mexican restaurant in the West Village and reminisced on our years at American University in Washington D.C. It had been 7 years since our graduation day and our first expression lines around the corners of our eyes revealed signs of hard work and luckily for all of us, of professional progress since then, too.
“It’s easy to forget how far we’ve come” — Beth Orten
Financial district, NYC
My closest friend that evening is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Health at Colombia University. The next two years will tell a story of determination and sacrifice. Her sacrifice during this time is nearly mathematical.
After two years of hard work and perseverance, she will receive a Master’s degree from a leading University in the US. That diploma will lead to a wealth of opportunities, which in turn will be attached to a monetary compensation. And rightly so. She will have earned it, for that diploma represents an investment made into her education.
Education is a safe bet… but is entrepreneurship?
As my friends and I were catching up, I was also receiving a thread of messages from a fellow entrepreneur in Boston who was going through a very difficult moment in his life.
This friend of mine is in his mid 50s and he had, also, made a bet.
He had bet his house. He had bet his family. He had bet his life… on an investment that, unlike education, is far from safe. This bet was on his startup and he was all in.
Which brings me to the point of this post. Can too much determination be fatal?
“Where the story ends depends on how far we go” — Beth Orten
Passion and determination are fundamental elements for every startup, and a founder without those two elements will, ultimately, fail. However, too much of anything is called an overdose and that can be fatal if not reversed.
“I wonder where these dreams go when the world gets in your way” — The Goo Goo Dalls
Pitching BeConnections to a crowd of 200 people on Dat Venture’s Demo Day. Boston, 2015
For that reason, I’ve added an additional element to my equation, which is pragmatism. The ability to take a step back and make rational choices will mark the difference between a founder who runs her startup and a startup that runs a founder’s life.
Which scenario do you prefer?
BeConnections is a virtual networking bridge between companies in emerging and developed markets, which is currently being used by companies in 40 countries and 25 major industries to discover and connect to new leads and partnerships around the world.
Founder Carlota Pico is currently in Boston launching the network in the US via Massachusetts. She is working closely with private and public agencies to provide local companies with a hub online to meet and connect on in real-time. Her long term vision is for BeConnections to be a source of greater deal flow and partnership opportunities across borders and industries. To be part of this mission, join www.beconnections.com — it’s free!
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