For many, status quo means doing what everyone else is. In other words, fitting in.

So why do people like to fit in? The saying “go with the flow,” is popular among the masses and refers to complying with the systems set in place. Perhaps it is the convenience of having a system established on how to do things or the idea of ‘blending in,’ but what we all need to remember is that fitting-in means that you are boring. Applying Seth Godin’s concept of “the purple cow,” individuals that choose to ‘go with the flow’ and make no effort to be ‘remarkable,’ are replaceable.

Bad Ideas Do Exist

In the ideal world, there are no bad ideas. Every idea would have the potential to lead to success and the word ‘bad’ would never be used in conjunction with ‘idea.’ Unfortunately, as we all know, bad ideas do exist. It’s inevitable and can’t be helped, but what exactly makes an idea bad? Is it not enough detail? Not thought out? While these are elements which need to be considered when developing an idea, we need to again look at the idea of changing the status quo.

An idea that can be described as outlandish, is not a bad idea. It’s an improbable idea. An improbable idea has little chance of getting past the drawing board and an even smaller chance of development. As opposed to an improbable idea, a bad idea is one that creates little to no value and either has been done or is already considered ‘used.’ For the millions of us who ‘go with the flow,’ saying that an idea is bad is simple and we think nothing of it. Bad ideas die by the millions, and great ideas scrounge for life. The goal is not to try and change the minds of those who ‘go with the flow’ that what they may think is a bad idea actually isn’t, but rather to have them tell you from the start that it is a great idea. You can’t say what you have is a great idea until you have someone tell you it is.

What You Can Learn From Victor Wouk

The name may not ring a bell, but he was the man behind hybrid vehicles. Wouk initially came up with the idea for hybrid vehicles when he was first approached in 1962 by Motorola founder, Russell Feldman, who asked Wouk to look into electric vehicles. Although Wouk came to the conclusion that batteries simply didn’t have enough energy to support a vehicle at the time, he continued to ponder the possibilities. Eventually, Wouk came up with the idea for a hybrid vehicle.

Using a Buick Skylark as his prototype, Victor Wouk successfully created the first ever hybrid vehicle which passed the rigorous EPA tests at the time. Still, in a series of events that can only be described as ‘mind-boggling,’ the government rejected the idea of producing hybrid vehicles at the time.

So what can we learn from Victor Wouk? Although Victor’s hybrid vehicle concept was shutdown, the fact remains that he had a great idea. Victor’s idea wasn’t shutdown because it was bad, but rather because it wasn’t the right time. The government wasn’t ready to take the automotive industry in a different direction and the idea of a car having half the horsepower of ‘traditional’ vehicles at the time was absurd to consumers. Whether your a scientist, a doctor, or an entrepreneur, this is something that one should always be mindful of: just because people aren’t ready for what you have to offer, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great idea. What may seem like a ‘shoot for stars’ kind of idea at one point in time, may be the next ‘hybrid car’ in another. A great idea should never be abandoned. Instead, it needs to be saved for when the time is right.

What Will You Do With A Great Idea?

Author and cartoonist, Ashleigh Brilliant, once wrote:

Good ideas are common – what’s uncommon are people who’ll work hard enough to bring them about

Just how you can bring a horse to a river, but can’t make him drink, a great idea remains just an idea unless you take action. Although Thomas Edison failed 1,000 times, he believed in his great idea and eventually brought us the light-bulb.

Don’t let a great idea go to waste. Who knows, it just might be the next ‘light-bulb.’

—

Photo by Adam Ross

For one to truly be successful they must learn to handle and ideally, eliminate fear. Failure to do so allows fear to paralyze one from progress. Roosevelt understood this best. With the coming of an economic depression, Roosevelt could sense ‘fear’ overcoming the nation. To this he confronted it head on. He made it clear that we must not allow fear to keep us mired in self-pity and loss but that we must eliminate fear.

How Fear Has Shaped Our Lives

Almost every important choice we have made in our lives has been surrounded by fear. While it varies by degrees, fear to some extent has influenced the choices we have made. From asking the girl who sat across you in art class to what college you decide to go to, how have you dealt with fear?

If you still don’t recognize ‘fear’ you may be familiar with its’ other names: doubt, scared, dread, frightened, and worried. How many times have you been confronted with a decision and decided for one option because you were ‘scared’ of making the wrong choice. While we all wish that every choice we had to make was as simple as “paper or plastic,” life likes throwing us curveballs.

The Fearless Entrepreneur

As an entrepreneur you face challenges and hurdles that would make most want to quit after just a month. You can even make the case that as an entrepreneur, you face the biggest fear which is that you are risking it all for failure. As an entrepreneur, failure can be crippling to ones dreams. Once ‘fear’ sets in, it can overwhelm and consume an entrepreneur and their dreams.

As a result, an entrepreneur must be like the ‘knight in shining armor.” In fairy tales, you hear of the damsel in distress and the fearless knight in shining armor who slays the dragon and rescues her. While dragons may be hard to come by, that doesn’t mean we can’t be like the knight. The knight is a hero because he is fearless. An entrepreneur doesn’t need to wield a sword or fight dragons to be fearless. With every failure, they must become resilient and continue to push forward.

So common is failure associated with fear because both can lead to the other. Bill Gates once said “it’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” One must not let failure lead to fear, but instead let failure lead to becoming fearless. One must learn from the mistakes as to not allow them to happen again.

The Difference Between Fearless and Stupid

Going back to the example of the knight that slays the dragon, we call him fearless because he risks his life to save the damsel in distress. Still, we are assuming that in doing so he is properly equipped and prepared his encounter with the dragon. If he fought the dragon with no shield or sword would we still call him fearless? Of course not. Instead of fearless we would call him stupid.

Being fearless doesn’t mean you should be stupid. Just how you wouldn’t dive into a pool without first knowing its depth, neither should you jump into a situation without first understanding it and being prepared.

Playing It Safe Is Not Playing It Smart

One of the biggest mistakes that people make is playing it safe. While there is nothing wrong with this, the problem with it is that they are not taking any risks. Anything that has risk has two outcomes. Success and failure. While someone who plays it safe is avoiding failure, it also means that they are avoiding success. If you live your life in a bubble are you really living life?

Consider this quote from best-selling author, Denis Waitley: “The only person who never makes mistakes is the person who never does anything.” While you can try and avoid fear and failure, it comes at a price. Don’t let fear hinder you from living life to the fullest.

Fear Is Part Of Being Human

As mentioned earlier, being fearless is ideal, but not realistic. While we wish we could get straight A’s in school, we know that no one is perfect. In the same sense, we are all human and fear is part of being human. The key though is to minimize fear as much as possible so that we can be successful.

Louisa May Alcott once said:

I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.

What will you do when it is time for you to face your fears? Will you let it overcome you and allow it to sink your ship, or will you turn fear into courage and power.

–

Photo by Cynthia Lou

As the sun begins to set, the work day does not end. Instead, work continues late into the night with sleep the last thing on one’s mind. This is the life I have chosen. — An Entrepreneur

As an entrepreneur, if you want to ‘survive’ and make it off the ‘island’, then you must succeed. Failure is not an option, yet it is the most common result. In what can be called odd, so many people choose to play this game of ‘entrepreneurship’ even though they are fully aware that odds are against them.

The biggest question that one may ask is “Why play?” For some it is the thrill of watching their dreams take flight while for others it just comes natural. Just how some are born natural athletes, some are just natural entrepreneurs. For those that choose to follow their dreams and ideas, they find themselves stranded on an island with only one way off: success. This is as real as it gets. No one tells you how to play the game, nor how to succeed. You have to trust your instinct and most of all your dream.

The Island

With little resources and new problems at every corner, an entrepreneur is essentially on an island of his own, trying to find a way off of it. An entrepreneur stuck an on island is never there by accident. This is the path they have chosen. This isn’t some reality TV show where producers are making sure that they are safe and secure. Instead, this is as real as it gets. If you lose, you don’t get to try again, you just have to keep moving forward.

Your “Tribe”

Once on the island, an entrepreneur quickly realizes the difficulty in trying to ‘survive’ without any help. Without help, the chances of success are lower. Thus the concept of the ‘tribe’ is introduced. The tribe that one forms as an entrepreneur shares a common and important trait: the belief that they will succeed. When one member of the ‘tribe’ begins to waiver in confidence, group morale is affected.

Just like in a company, a tribe has its own hierarchy. From the leader of the group to the support lines, each part of the tribe plays an essential role. The startup ‘tribe’ is unique in that individuals within the group may be asked to take on different roles and assignments. For a tribe to be successful it is imperative that there be some sort of flexibility within the group. A member that is able to take on many different tasks is far more valuable than someone that can only do one.

Create Your Own Map

As an entrepreneur you can read as much you want on how to start a business, but in the end their is no blueprint to success. No two success stories are the same. They may be similar, but no two are identical. As an entrepreneur not only are you an island, but you are also without a map. Instead you are to make your own. There is not set path you can take, you decide where it goes.

The hardest part about not having a ‘map’ are the distractions you come across along the way. Because you make your own decisions and don’t have to follow a set route, opportunities that may seem like the right choice may in fact just be a distraction and slow you down. I believe Jack Ma, CEO and Founder of Alibaba.com said it best:

If there are nine rabbits on the ground and you want to catch one, just focus on one.  Change your tactics if you need to, but don’t change the rabbit you’re focused on.  Just stick with it.

Being able to identify between good opportunities and dead-ends is crucial. Time is money and dead-ends are just a waste of time.

Giving Up

As an entrepreneur when one finds the odds against them and no end in site, giving up shouldn’t be an option. Instead of giving up, one needs to realize that as humans we are not perfect and that we will make mistakes. From those mistakes, we need to learn from them and make the appropriate adjustments the next time around. Giving up means you are accepting defeat. The enemy of an entrepreneur is doubt. Doubt that what they have been working toward is nothing but a failure. If one intends to be successful, being able to cast away doubt must first be done.

The island for entrepreneurs symbolizes two things: isolation and dreams. The isolation refers to the experiences that an entrepreneur faces when they leave the 9-5 jobs. People can offer you help, but as an entrepreneur, you are alone. No one but yourself and team will be able to say “I understand. Also on the island, dreams can become reality. An entrepreneur starts with an idea and works to making it become a reality.

Many have succeeded in making it off the island, but many more are still waiting for ‘big’ break. It may take weeks, months, and even years, but we are all looking for the day we make it off the island.

Would you ever pay $5.00 for a pack of gum? My guess is that a majority of you would say no. While paying $5.00 for a pack of gum may sound absurd, ‘gourmet’ gum may be just around the corner. With the days of $.50 coffee a thing of the past and cappuccino’s and latte’s become mainstream, Starbucks has turned shelling out big money for ‘simple’ products the norm.

If you drive through any big city in the United States, you probably wouldn’t have to look far to find a Starbucks. With it’s green and white logo, it sometimes feels like Starbucks opens new stores just for fun. Just the other day I saw 2 Starbucks in the same plaza. Whether it is by mistake or a strategic marketing strategy, Starbucks continues to open new stores and with it comes new Starbucks aficionado’s.

For anyone starting a business, one can only dream of one day becoming as big and well-known as Starbucks. Started in 1971, Starbucks has joined the elite group of cultural icons which include McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. While not everyone may like Starbucks and some even flat out hate it, no one can deny the fact that Starbucks played a big part in the way consumers view products.

It’s Not Just Coffee, It’s ‘Gourmet’

Whenever I ask people why they like Starbucks, they tell me that it isn’t just coffee, it’s ‘gourmet’. While I’ll admit that Starbucks coffee may taste better than something you might make at home, is it really worth the extra cost? If you ask Starbucks they will tell you absolutely. Starbucks is genius in many different ways. They have taken a simple product, coffee, and turned it into a lifestyle. Coffee is no longer just a drink, it is an event in itself. Instead of just buying a cup of coffee, Starbucks is letting you buy an experience. From the renaming of sizes to Tall, Grande, and Venti, to the always consistent ‘coffee house’ experience, Starbucks makes you feel like you are part of something. Whether you drink it by yourself while reading a book or drink it with your friends while you talk about the latest news, people love being part of the Starbucks brand.

Building A Community Around Your Business

One of the big reasons for Starbucks success is due to the strong community that they have built around them. Starbucks realized that no one would buy coffee at $5.00 therefore they relied on those die-hard supporters. The one’s that were convinced that the coffee they were buying was special had a huge part in the success of Starbucks. The community around them doesn’t necessarily buy Starbucks coffee because they feel it is superior in taste amongst the rest, but because of what having that Starbucks cup in your hand means.

As companies begin to use social media platforms like Twitter more and more, the importance of building community will increase. With the ability to reach millions at such a low investment, Starbucks has realized this and has setup their own Twitter feed which has daily tweets for all their Starbucks fans. With the average consumer becoming less and less connected with traditional forms of advertisement,  Starbucks along with many other companies have realized this and have begun the transition to new media. The community that Starbucks has is not just national, but global.

Be The Global Brand

If you travel to other major cities in other countries one of the first things you might notice at the airport is a Starbucks. While Starbucks may not have infiltrated every single terminal in the world, they are coming close to it. It seems like for every airport that has a coffee shop but isn’t a Starbucks, people always wonder why it isn’t one. When you step outside the terminals, even though you don’t speak the language, Starbucks seems to be a universal word. The best comparison to use is McDonald’s. McDonald’s has firmly established themselves as a global food empire. It doesn’t matter whether you are in China or France, the golden arches are an iconic figure that most everyone knows.

Starting in 2003, Starbucks began their move into global expansion just as McDonald’s began their cutbacks of new stores globally. While Starbucks is still a ways off from taking over McDonald’s global crown, Starbucks is opening stores at an astounding rate.

With nearly 1,500 new stores being opened from 2007-2008 Starbucks continues to keep their foot on the gas when it comes to global expansion. Globally, the response has been positive both culturally and economically as 20% of yearly revenue was recorded from international sales.

The factor that separates successful companies from the elite is how they approach global expansion. The big difference between the two is that while some companies may view the states in the US as many different markets, large corporations like Starbucks and Coca-Cola view the United States as one large market that is part of a whole global landscape.

While someone who is starting a business may not think about trying to win over a whole international market at first, it is important to think ahead on how you will approach it and how you will enter the market. Will you be aggressive or will you be cautious? These sort of questions will may determine how you fare in the global market.

The Future Of Starbucks

While i’m not a fortune teller by no means, I can predict that Starbucks is going nowhere. While it is true that they did post a loss in the third fiscal quarter in 2008, having already turned coffee into an any time of the day drink and having successfully convinced people that $5.00 for a cup of coffee is reasonable, Starbucks is still in the drivers seat. Just like any good company, it is important that Starbucks be able to ride out these poor economic times.

To be honest, I don’t drink coffee nor do I plan to anytime soon. If I did though, I can say that although I believe what Starbucks is doing is quite impressive as far as their global expansion and reach, I would still rather pay for $1.00 McDonald’s coffee and save the extra $4.00 for a rainy day.

—-

Photo by JAMI

One of the hardest things you can attempt to do is to turn a startup into a successful company. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say the startup I am part of is a success, we have made significant strides toward it. I have heard that startup companies fail for many reasons. From poor leadership to lack of funding, the odds are against you, but that is how we like it.

Aside from the common obstacles that most startups face, we at Future Delivery have a unique obstacle that most other startups don’t encounter. While I wouldn’t call our obstacle a problem, I would say that it poses a wild-card element to the startup life. Over last 2 years our company has gone through many changes. The biggest of which is the relocation of our CEO and the addition of new members to our team from different parts of the map. With 2 core team members in Los Angeles and 2 in Silicon Valley and several others in different parts ranging from Texas to Turkey, we are not just a startup, but a global startup.

Our CEO, Yu-Kai Chou moved to Silicon Valley in a move that he felt would make the company stronger in terms of being able to network with tech savvy individuals in that area as well as meet investors for our company. Currently, Jun Loayza and myself are here in the Los Angeles area working primarily on marketing. With such a great distance between us, the question is how does this affect us? Now it would be a lie if I said that everything is fine, but in all honesty we would love it if we could all be in the same area working together. This past week I was able to meet up with Yu-Kai and spend some time working along side him as well as getting to know him better.

I had met Yu-Kai only once before this week, with all other times being through our weekly Skype meetings and through email. Although I had only met him once before this week, I felt like he was a friend I had known for a long time. From our talks, I was able to learn a lot from him. We talked about many things ranging from what inspired him to start Future Delivery to what his outlook on this year was. From just a couple hours of talking with him, I had learned so much. I can only imagine how much more I could learn from him if we could meet more often.

Yes, it is true that even though we are all located in different parts of the globe that we can still stay in touch through email and Skype, but that still can’t take the place of meeting someone in person. When the team is together, we work diligently and get a lot done. When we are not together, we still work hard and get a lot done, but there is still an element missing. It is hard to say exactly what element but to help explain it, it is like winning a basketball game but no one is around to see it. You can bring home the trophy and show your friends and family, but you are still wishing they came to see you play. I have no qualms about our team not being closer together, but I wouldn’t mind it. I am confident with the makeup of our core team members, we have the personality and drive to stay productive and headstrong.

How Can You Be Successful While So Far Apart?

Even though we are in different places and in different time zones, that doesn’t mean we can’t be successful. A long distance relationship is hard and difficult but you still do it because you love the other person. For us, that other person is our company. We love our company.  Through it all, we have learned to adapt and stay focused. Here are some things that we do in our company to help us be productive and operate:

Email Communication

Add us on Gmail and you will see us on Gmail Chat at least 4-5 hours out of the day. This is one of the easiest ways for us to stay in touch with each other and we are constantly in contact. Aside for emailing each other updates and questions, we also CC each other on important emails from our clients so that we all have a firm understanding of what is going on.

Skype

Good thing Skype is free, because if we had to pay per minute, we might be broke by now. We have a weekly meeting every week through Skype where we talk about goals for the next week as well as updates from the last one. This is where we can just catch up on what’s been going on in our lives as well as see if there are any things we need to focus on.

Google Docs. Scoreboard

Created by Yu-Kai, the scoreboard system is almost like a work diary where we can assign points to every ‘task’ we complete. It is a way to increase productivity through friendly competition and also to keep track of what we have worked on. I highly suggest doing this as it is a great way to make sure everyone is focusing on the appropriate tasks.

Just like my earlier analogy about comparing our company to a long distance relationship, anyone who gets into a long distance relationship does it in hopes of one day reuniting with their significant other. We hope that one day we will be able to work side by side with each other and work toward making our company successful. Until then, distance will not stop us.

—-

Photo by Proud Dad

]]> http://www.josephayi.com/blog/the-global-startup/feed/ 0 http://www.josephayi.com/blog/from-start-to-finish-watching-your-project-grow/ http://www.josephayi.com/blog/from-start-to-finish-watching-your-project-grow/#comments Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:51:54 +0000 Joseph Yi http://www.josephayi.com/blog/?p=511

Many adults say that one of the greatest gifts in life is having the opportunity to watch their kids grow from infants all the way to adulthood. While some may say otherwise, there is nothing more rewarding than watching something that you have invested a great amount of time in and watching it flourish. As an entrepreneur, you are the parent and your projects are your children. Whether you are a startup tech company looking to create the next best thing, or just trying to start your own restaurant, whatever it is you put those extra hours in becomes your ‘kid’.

Speaking with many entrepreneur’s one of big reasons that they chose to leave the corporate world and enter the startup life is because they wanted the satisfaction of being able to create their own project and help guide it in the right direction. So what the big question then becomes is what drives an individual to continue to put in the time to make a project grow. To best understand this it is helpful to use the analogy of being a parent and watching your child grow.

I myself don’t have any kids, but from what others who have kids have told me, you lose a lot of hair along the way, but in the end, it’s worth it. Just like when a child is in its baby stage and they need your attention 24/7. So is the same with a startup project. When you have a great idea you can’t wait to get started with it. You love it so much that you are willing to work late into the night and live off only powerbars and energy drinks. Sleep is hard to come by, but you tell yourself that it is all worth it. Why? Because the project is yours.

As a child grows from infant to adolescent, this is where they learn by exploring and they begin to ask questions. As a parent they are proud to bring their child to school and are eager to meet other parents to setup play dates and to share tips on the best way to pack a lunch. Similar to that, as your project begins to take form and you are eager to share it with your close friends to get their opinion as well to show it off like a prized possession. For an entrepreneur, hearing positive feedback from others is equivalent to your child bringing home a good report card. Still, it is a growing process. During this time, you still need to put in those long hours for your project, but you are beginning to have an idea of what exactly your finished project may look like.

As an adolescent turns into a teenager, parents begin to worry whether they have brought them up to be ‘model’ citizens. In the same sense, entrepreneurs go through a stage where they wonder if they have built their project the ‘right’ way. This brings up the good question though of what is ‘right.’ What is considered ‘right’ is typically just a reflection of what society as a whole or majority thinks. For the entrepreneur, this doubt or questioning of one’s project can be crippling. During this stage entrepreneurs will find themselves struggling over not only the project itself, but also variables indirectly connected to it. From internal issues within the project team, to funding issues, this is when an entrepreneurs composure is tested most.

In what can be considered the final stage of growth, teens eventually enter adulthood. While the law views children as adults when they turn 18, parents still want to hang on to them as long as possible. It is hard to believe that after years of watching them grow, they are almost ready to be on their own. For entrepreneurs and startups, the final stage is when the project is ready to be released to the public. While there may still be ‘bugs’ in the project that still need to be worked out, the project for the most part is completed and is ready to be presented to the world. The hours of designing, planning, and sleepless nights have paid off. While I described the final stage being the release and completion of the project, this doesn’t mean that the project is left alone. Just like how parents check up on their kids to see how they are doing and to see if they need any help, so is the same with a project turned ‘product.’ Entrepreneurs will continue to monitors its progress and make any necessary adjustments to help it run better.

Entrepreneurs always have great ideas for new projects and are always excited to see them come to life. Perhaps this quote explains it best on what it means to think up or start a project:

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.

If you have an idea for a project, remeber that there is always room in this world for one more great idea.

Look in the mirror and what do you see? Do you see a leader or do you see a follower? This is the question that I have been asking college students across the country from some of the best schools in the nation for our internship program. With polished resumes and sometimes rehearsed responses, many interviewees were actually taken a back when I asked them this question. While some may expect the normal response to be a simple ‘Follower’ or ‘Leader,’ I want to know why.

Part of what we are looking for in candidates for our Campus Entrepreneur Internship Program are individuals who have not only an entrepreneurial edge to them, but also have a leadership quality to them. From the candidates point of view, they may want to ask me why it is important to be leader when it is only an internship. The easiest for way for me to explain it is because part of being an entrepreneur and starting your own business is being able to lead others.

So what separates the leader from the follower? From my own experiences, I have noticed that all great leaders have great confidence in themselves and also their team. An example I often use to explain the difference between a leader and a follower is to look at sports. Who are the superstars, and who are the role-players. It is easy to replace a role-player, but it is difficult to replace a superstar. Superstars excel above the rest, and lead by example. As an entrepreneur, you take on many different roles. From accounting to marketing, entrepreneurs must be confident in their capabilities and be able to pick up any task and be ready to lead others who are unsure how to approach a situation. As a entrepreneur, you must not wait for people to teach you how to do something but rather you must want to learn it yourself.

Speaking with one of the interviewees about whether they were a follower or a leader, they responded that they see themselves as a more of a follower because they like to sit back and learn from people who have more experience. While there is nothing wrong with the response, I feel that to be a great entrepreuneur, you must want to be more than just someone who takes orders from others. You must have the desire and passion to one day be able to make important decisions and to have people come to you when they need advice. Part of what this internship program is about, is taking someone who see’s themselves as being the leader ‘type’ and giving them the tools to be one.

Most recently I had a talk with my good friend and CEO, Yu-Kai Chou. We talked about how the internship program interviews were going and he asked me what drove me to work as hard as I did when I was part of the internship program less than one year ago. As part of the internship program I was mentored by my friend and CMO, Jun Loayza. From his mentorship, I was able to learn about topics ranging from marketing and networking to SEO and social media. For myself, the passion to learn and to prove myself to others is what drove me. When a project was completed, I didn’t wait for another project to be given to me, but rather asked for one. My desire to help out the company didn’t stop their, but extended to my teammates as well. Their success, was my success. Jun not only taught me through his lessons and projects, but also through his own example that he set for the interns and myself.  I am a firm believer that if you believe that you have limits without first finding them out, you are selling yourself short of your potential. I am still trying to find my limit.

While some people are confident with their responses when asked if they are a leader or a follower, it is understandable that some may not be sure what to say. For most of us, we learn if we a leader or a follower early on as a child. Whether it was when playing with friends and wanting to pick what game to play, or at school as the playground monitor, finding out whether you are a leader or follower is essentially a job audition. For those that still don’t know if they are a follower or leader, the time will come when it becomes clear which of the two they are.

When I was in college, I remember a quote from Harry Truman that I felt was a great quote about what a leader is:

“Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.” – Harry Truman

We live in a time where you can be anything you want to be. Go out their and seize the opportunity.

As I enter my third week of the work I have come to the realization that I am an ‘adult.’ Books and midterms have been replaced by meetings and hours of starting at a computer screen. For most, the corporate work path is well suited for them. Working at Future Delivery I have a truly unique opportunity. I am able to set my own work hours, sleep in as late as I want, and work on any project I want. So you ask what kind of job is this?

This is what it is like to be part of a start-up company. Everything I mentioned previously is not what it may appear. Yes, I can set my own hours, but I have been working approximately 14 hour work days, 7 days a week. I can work on any project, but still need to get them all done. I can sleep in, but if I do, that only means I will sleep even later. The corporate life provides structure, rules, and guidance. In a sense, when you first start out working in the corporate world, you are taught how to work. No one can teach you how to be an entrepreneur or part of a start-up company. Instead, you are given an idea. With that idea, you have to run with it. If the idea doesn’t work. Then pick up another one and run again.

For myself, the person that means the most to me aside from my family members, is my girlfriend. Recently, she joined the corporate world and now works 9-5, 5 days a week. Looking at how far we both have come, I realize that determination has played a big part in where we are today. In high school, we were both determined to be with each other through it all. During college, we made it through a long-distance relationship. Now here we are again. Facing two different paths: Corporate world vs Entrepreuner world. One is where you follow the rules, the other, you make em.’ When her work day is done, mine continues. When her work day starts, mine still is continuing. I have made adjustments to my life so that I am able to spend ‘quality’ time with her. From waking up early and getting more work done during the day, to delegating tasks to others. Just like when you ride a bike, at first you will have bumps and falls, but eventually you will get the hang of it. Similar to that idea, the career paths my girlfriend and I are part of is ‘work in progress.’ We will learn what works and what doesn’t. What is right and what is wrong. Most of all, we will learn how two different career paths can make for one great relationship.