Yesterday I read a posting in Facebook that was extremely critical of a local entrepreneur CEO who had committed to spend four hours a week acting as a mentor for other entrepreneurs. The commentator was hard on the CEO, suggesting that a CEO who did something like this would not be backed by investors. As I read this post, I was dismayed for a few reasons. First, I like the CEO personally and think he is a solid guy. Second, I thought that the commentary was just wrong. As an investor, I thought that it was timely for me to weigh in on the big issue that lurked behind the commentary -- how committed should an entrepreneur be to his startup?
The place to begin is to acknowledge a few home truths. The first is that entrepreneurship, particularly, startup entrepreneurship is a 24/7 job. It is not something that should be done lightly or without passion. Successful entrepreneurs make their startup business their number one priority. This happens because of some of the key behavioral aspects of entrepreneurial behavior: passion for the entrepreneurial journey, optimism and a belief that an entrepreneur's own efforts can change the surrounding world in a material way. The net result of this is that successful entrepreneurs tend to give the appearance of monomania and single mindedness.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Jonathan Aberman: An Investor Perspective: How Committed Should an Entrepreneur Be
