Are You Languishing in Solo Entrepreneur Purgatory?

January 7th, 2010 → 12:16 am @ rulesoptional

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Are You Languishing in Solo Entrepreneur Purgatory?
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For me, publishing my writing in a public forum and interacting with as many of you as possible serves (in no small part) as free therapy.

Side question: Why is self-indulgence supposedly a bad thing?

Of course, the ultimate goal for any neurotic is to get someone to pay to be their therapist. Patience Andrew… Patience. Woody Allen has long been a mentor. Don’t tell him that though; it may push him over the edge. So… light up your pipe while I get comfortable. It’s direct access to Andrew’s brain time.

I hate false dichotomies with a passion. I don’t want one or the other. I want it all. The lifestyle design myth of the day is the employee vs. entrepreneur conundrum. This is a false dichotomy for two reasons:

  1. Working as an employee and working as an entrepreneur are not opposites.
  2. Working as an employee or entrepreneur are not the only options.

I’m only going to address #2 today.

Admittedly, entrepreneur doesn’t define exactly what I’m talking about. There is a general tendency to frame employees as mindless drones motivated only by the hope of experiencing bliss in an afterlife cogs in a machine and entrepreneurs as gunslingers in the Wild West vanquishing foes and slaying the dragons of mediocrity. It’s the strict solo/DIY mentality that I’m rejecting. And I have news for you: Dragon scales are impervious to bullets.

Back to Andrew’s Neuroses

In “Entrepreneur: Insecure Avoidance“, I wrote about some potential psychological issues that may contribute to our tendency to, not merely run toward the romanticism of entrepreneurialism, but also run away screaming in fear from being an employee . In a nutshell… Being an employee subjects us to all sorts of hierarchical indignities.

A friend used to try to convince me that I was good at everything I tried. Granted… She’s hot and, during the dips in the manic depression curve that comes with being an entrepreneur, I run exclusively on coffee and delusions of grandeur. So… I didn’t exactly go out of my way to prove her wrong.

There are very significant things that my personality is not suited for. These things have prevented me from being as successful as I aspire to be. It may very well be that I have $7,438,559,217 worth of valuable ideas in my head that will never be realized because I’m working with $2 worth of focus and a grossly overpriced procrastination circuit. I’d be better off if I only had $531,668,139 worth of ideas so I wasn’t distracted by trying to develop the other $6,906,891,078 worth at the same time. Newsflash: With the way the math works out in that scenario, I’d end up with $2.

So here’s what I’m working with in the “issues” department (non-exhaustive list):

  • Easily Distracted by Tangential Thoughts
  • Easily Distracted by Details / Perfectionism
  • Acute Procrastination Skills
  • Resistance to Arrival at Creative/Productive Mental State
  • Blatant Disregard for Authority
  • Inability to Relinquish Control
  • Inability to Establish Lasting Relationships with Cannibals
  • Contempt for Celery

Now here’s the thing… I can play the “self-development” game until I’m dead, but I don’t wanna. (I absolutely refuse to add stubborn to the list) For the most part, there are differing levels of desirable energies and side-effects to each of those items. Distraction + Obsessive Attention to Detail + Procrastination is the Holy Trinity of creativity. Disregard for Authority is rooted in my skepticism… which is a defining characteristic of me as a human. That isn’t to say that those things are all good, but quashing them through regimented training and faux enlightenment just feels wrong.

Project Mayhem: Part Deux

I call shenanigans on the utopian “lone wolf” ideal of entrepreneurs. It isn’t enough to show us anecdotal success stories. If there even is a pure example of this do everything entrepreneur to begin with, I’d be shocked. If this mythical beast was also successful by some measure, I’d still suggest that the success would be greater with some sort of collaboration. Sorry. I don’t always play fair.

It is generally better to own 50 percent of a million dollar business than it is to own 100 percent of a $100,000 business. -Alan Weiss

Within the huge number of super-smart, ultra-capable people we come into contact every day I intuit zillions of lost revenue. The predominant desire to be at the top of the pyramid or singlehandedly fighting the good fight results in piles of cash left on the table.

Therefore, on whatever the date is that you’re reading this… Let’s call it “today”… I pass the following edict: Find one or two or three amazing people who fill gaps in your personality and build an alliance or partnership or cult or whatever.

Who’s with me?

I mean… In spirit and principle at least. Naturally, I must assume that everyone who reads this blog is exactly like me and we would therefore result in a 100% duplication of talent.

Have you seen the show Trust Me? It has that one dude from “Will & Grace” and that other dude from “Ed”. They’re an ad agency creative team (in this case: Copywriter and Creative Director). It was cancelled after one season so you may not find it alluring, but there’s something about a great dynamic-duo that the writers captured pretty well. I’ve (not so secretly) yearned (hate that word) for similar symbiosis. After having enough conversations with one’s self to engender self-diagnosed multiple personality disorder, this is merely a logical next step.

As neurotics seeking free therapy tend to do… My recommendations here are a mixture of rad advice about the way you should do things and a simultaneous projection of what I’m thinking. Maybe we should send each other bills. Have I written enough for you to prescribe me some Adderall®, or shall I add more symptoms to the list above?

I’ve done as much time in Purgatory as I care to. My entrepreneurial soul has been purified by the torment of having absolute control for long enough. P.S. Don’t mistake that for willingness to donate equity at random.