In my initial days of entrepreneurship, I had termed April Fools’ Day, as entrepreneur’s day? why?
Simple. Rest of the world think Entrepreneur is either a “Fool” or keeps on fooling the rest of the world.
There were several analogies from several stake holders view point as I had mentioned in my blog. Anyone curious may go through the same: https://sushobhanm.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/fools-day-the-entrepreneurs-day/
Even after 10 years from this blog and 14 years of journey, I still feel “fool’s walk continued”. During Covid 19 outbreak, it was felt deeply and documented during both 2021 and 2022 as well. Fool’s walk is still on and I am strong believer this will go on.
Entrepreneurs are different breed altogether, they can not be cultivated, manufactured or crafted. They are unlike a business man to think about profit & losses. They drive with passion and explore different crazy ideas which may a times will not see success. But they will keep on chasing new dreams with their solo walk.
Here are few pointers as artifacts to demonstrate why Fool’s Walk is Still on:
Strategies: I have observed and gradually understood, apart from me everyone surrounding (employees, colleagues, friends, customers, vendors, family, friends) know better how to operate by business than me. They keep on throwing ideas on how certain incidents could have been handled in better way. How strategic improvement would have enforced better impact. Many a times, I had offered them to handle my role for a day/week/month and demonstrate the idea through execution. Unfortunately, none of them accepted as yet.
Opportunity Cost: Many a times existing employees, job aspirants, associates, vendors are only conscious about deliverables. They will depend on defined SOW, SOP and always keep on complaining about organization, customer, individuals with the thought process of “beyond scope of work”. As a human being, we always believe that the other human, opposite side of the table, always trying to screw us. And from here, we lose customer centricity. We tend to stay away to understand customer expectations thinking “Beyond scope” and finally yield unhappy customer. And finally, the entrepreneur has to step in to clean the dirt of “issue out of nothing” In effect we finally trapped into fulfilling the defined job, instead of grabbing more opportunities in “hook & spread” mode.
Culture of Favors: Many of us are not grateful for the job which is helping me to have my bread & butters. We always feel the good kick once at the month end a SMS pops out in my mobile screen. But we keep on thinking that is our birth right. In lieu of the monthly package, the deliverable is actually a favor to the employer and the end customer. When a company, the boss, the supervisor asks for deliverables, we keep on feeling get accused, deprived. In effect, everyone feels Sales is touch, many persons are not willing to have variable part of salary as that will be linked to performance. In effect, the poor entrepreneur suffers. Neither he can get the jobs done by team, nor can push them. But end of month he will go on deep depression how to arrange monthly operational expenses.
No control: Most frustrating part of the story is most of the facts surrounding the entrepreneur is not controllable. Starting from Bank loan to fund management, employee leave, resignation, work schedule, customer expectation, family demand, none of them he can control. More precisely he cannot make anyone happy and finally he gets stuck into stress, anxiety, health hazards and keeps on riding roller-costar ride of entrepreneurship.
He keeps on searching for a fellow entrepreneur of similar syndrome so that his walk does not become solo. Effectively, Fool’s walk continues towards eternity.
Sushobhan Mukherjee 