For most people, when it comes to their career, the idea of starting something new isn’t exciting.
What is it about “New” that can cause such resistance in people?
After all, we love new “things” right?
It starts when we are young. From the time we are children we love to get new things. Toys, clothes, books etc. As adults this often perpetuates to new jewelry, cars, trips and so on.
But life isn’t all about new. We tend to get sentimental or otherwise attached to many things in life. Think about it. As a child it may be our friends or our favorite stuffed animal. And as adults it our homes and certain prized possessions.
Somewhere in the middle of all of this eagerness to experience “The New,” with our ongoing resistance to changing the old, the world finds order. At least as it pertains to our attachment to our career.
It is precisely this balance between desire for stability and desire to build where employees are born and entrepreneurs are created.
I define the employee as the person who is attached to the idea of working for someone else. While this person may periodically or even with certain frequency change their “Career,” it is always under the security blanket of an organization that has established its roots.
This category is critical to the ebb and flow of business as great talent is needed to grow a business and more great talent will be required to sustain that growth.
I always say that business is human, this is precisely what I mean.
But this group of great employees. The ones that go to work for Goldman Sachs, Google, Microsoft or other established companies; They are a tremendous talent, and they are filled with great ideas. Ideas that make the shareholders of these great names richer and more powerful while these individuals rarely receive a fraction of their deserved recognition for the contributions they make.
Nonetheless these individuals DO bring their best work to others and for the most part that is the way they want it.
Of course these fine and productive employees could start something new? They could take their talent and launch a business around the ideas that they bring to other companies. And while sometimes this happens, most often it does not.
But why? Why do so many great minds choose to be employed rather than build something?
I won’t even for a moment proclaim to have the science here. I’m sure there are researchers out there that are studying this. But I’ll just offer an observation.
The reason that so few people elect to take the path of starting something new is more their fear of change.
Change as I see it is perhaps the most feared movement in business and in life. I have watched it paralyze executives, middle managers as well as the rank and file.
But I believe that the ability to embrace change may be the ingredient that separates those who do with those talk about doing.
It is like a tag in your DNA, but for some people, launching a new idea is what makes the work day worthwhile. In fact, it makes work exciting. It inspires you and drives you to challenge yourself every day to accomplish great things.
To build something that serves the needs of others, that will take its own life form and create a living breathing entity comprised of a tremendous product or service and most importantly comprised of people.
To create the jobs, the careers and the environment where “The Employee” can flourish.
There is something about that in which cannot be easily put to words. But is rewarding unlike anything else for an entrepreneur.
This is why people start things, this is why I start things. Because for me, this is exactly the case
I want to build something great. For myself, but more importantly for everyone whom I’ll serve.
Our customers, our employees and our shareholders.
But enough about me, let’s talk about you!
So what is your story? Idea to IPO?
Or is it something else…
Perhaps Idea to operating company, merger, acquisition or… maybe you don’t know yet. And that is perfectly okay.
From Idea to IPO isn’t about a particular brand, product or idea.
It is about a way of life.
For those that have ideas and are looking to take them somewhere, here, we will document the journey. Together we will learn through experience and community.
In the future we will cover many of the keys to launching something. Including but not limited to the following.
*Ideating: Where do Ideas come from?
*Vetting Ideas: What makes one idea good and another bad?
*Getting Started: The leap from an Idea to a Venture
*Partnerships: Rolling the dice solo? Building something together?
*Fundraising: Where should you seek Investment? Do you even need it?
*Dealing with Failure: There are bound to be many let downs along the way
*Operating: Bootstrapping until the business is profitable
*Expanding: Dealing with growth, intelligently
*Exiting: When and How to exit the business
And so much more. So if you are thinking about launching a business, or you already are…
Strap in for the ride ahead as we look at how a business goes from Idea to….Wherever it desires.
This post is the first of a series on Start-Ups featured on Huffington Post The original article can be found here.
