A long conversation with an old friend faced with an interesting choice: Having been an employee (a very successful one) and an entrepreneur (an incredibly successful one), what should I do now? In a generation which is seeing such a number of “right here, right now” entrepreneurs, I think this is an important question.
Too many B-school cafes and office water coolers around India resound with the prequel to the above question – how do I become an entrepreneur? Precisely these conversations end up elevating “entrepreneurship” to a higher level. Almost like it is the choice for any uber-individual.
While I would hesitate to judge that, I do know this – thinking of this in absolute terms would be wrong. I think it is important to consider what slice of employee life one has seen, and what slice of entrepreneur life one is going to see.
I know a number of employees who lead fulfilled satisfying lives, doing meaningful work with interesting people and are happy doing it. I know an equally vocal set which don’t. What are you going to compare – a great employee experience with a not-so-great entrepreneur one? Or is the other way around? There are levels of satisfaction and energy with both these choices, and it would be incredibly useful to look at this with a cold clear eye.
Apart from comparing the right apple to the right orange, I think there’s another part of the question: Are you choosing “what to do” or are you choosing “who you are”?
Think about that for a second.
What is the question you should be asking?
Everyone wants to be their own, internal, larger-than-life, sexier-than-sexy Shahrukh Khan. That’s the nature of the beast. But here’s the rub -- If you are not Shahrukh Khan in your mind already, it is unlikely that employee or entrepreneur choices will make you one. Don’t make entrepreneurship an identity choice. Make it just a choice of what you do.
My conversation with my friend ended with I think a mutual feeling of liberation. Of the freedom to make a genuine choice between two alternatives.
I think he himself is unique in the fact that in his mind what he does and who he does it with is far more important than how he does it - as an employee or not. I admire that about him.
What is it that really matters to you?
Entrepreneurship is not sexy. And every entrepreneur will tell you this.
