Comments on: Remember When You Were An Entrepreneur

By: 51 Excuses Entrepreneurs Hide Behind | Rich Lazzara

51 Excuses Entrepreneurs Hide Behind | Rich Lazzara — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:58:34 +0000

[...] too young – Never. In fact most people start off as [...]

By: John Lilla

John Lilla — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:16:09 +0000

Hi Rich,
This takes me back to walking and bicycling to deliver papers daily in suburban Boston. Started at age 10. I was urged to include Christmas cards 2 weeks before Christmas. At first I thought a troubling waste of time and energy and no one would really care.. But, when the Christmas tips came rolling in along with pleasant greetings from my customers, I was extremely glad to have delivered the cards. Continued the habit for the next 7 years as a paperboy. During those earlier years I would go to neighbors while it was snowing to see if they needed help shoveling the white stuff. We would agree on a fee, which was always paid with a smile, kind words and a nice little tip. Those formative business years stood me well as I have moved through various businesses in my life. Thanks for the article. – John

By: Chris Palmer

Chris Palmer — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:43:52 +0000

I think the biggest thing I've learned lately is just to have fun. Honestly, the rest are just details. Yes, it's a lot of work, but if I'm not having fun then I won't have the motivation to do all this.

That same lack of 'fun' is what drains the life out of a ninetwofiver.

All hail Entrepreneurship!

By: Rich Lazzara

Rich Lazzara — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 08:17:50 +0000

Chris, thats one awesome story! My first job at 12 was mowing lawns. I can remember borrowing $400 from my parents to buy the equipment, making flyers to put on peoples doors, going and giving estimates...it was great. Job lasted me 4 years until we moved to another neighborhood and I gave it up to go to do other things.

Two things you said really stuck out to me "I'd rather do what I love and fail than do menial work for someone else and be successful"....this is so true.

Also when you said "Another challenge is making sure that the businesses and entities I own don't end up owning me"...this is something that can be a real problem for entrepreneurs. You have to be able to set priorities with your time and making sure the business doesnt become all consuming. Ive seen it happen in our family business and it is a sacrifice that in the end I dont believe is worth it.

Thanks for the great comments.

By: Chris Palmer

Chris Palmer — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:30:53 +0000

Hey Rich,
I remember when I was between 8-10 I had a rock shop. We actually had branding too, which we painted nicely on a big plywood piece to stick out on the street. Our name; The Cottage of Rocks.

We had a little playhouse out back that all the girls had lost interest in. It was probably 5 feet by 10 feet, a single room, and 4 windows. When it wasn't being used as a platform to jump on to the trampoline, it was our humble shop.

We rarely, if ever, got customers. I remember one time I was up playing a ways away on a part of our property. I caught wind that someone was here to look at my rocks. I had never run a quarter mile so fast in my life!

Luckily, although the Cottage of Rocks didn't go IPO, I was raised in a home with an entrepreneurial spirit. I never stopped thinking of business ideas or ways to improve the world through my passions.

At one point, I got sucked into 'the system' just a little bit. With that said, I flunked college because I was spending all my time flying. I just happened to be the first pilot out of the program at my college that year.

Recently I've been thinking a lot about this. I've been thinking about how people go through the motions, retire, and then waste away into history. I'm not saying my loved ones that have careers are a waste, it's just difficult to see people live under the fear of nothing and the fear of failure.

I'd rather do what I love and fail than do menial work for someone else and be successful.

Luckily, I know that I can do what I love and be successful.

Another challenge is making sure that the businesses and entities I own don't end up owning me. I've been learning to innovate, inspire a culture, outsource and more to make sure this doesn't take place.

With that said, it's all taking a lot of hard work that is fun and rewarding.

Work, whether humans like to admit it or not, is a large part of our daily lives and important for our existence and happiness. Obviously not the same as something like a marriage.

But it's important to take into account the fact that it is important, it matters, and there is nothing wrong with doing what we love and love what we're doing.

As always, thanks for the great post.

By: Rich Lazzara

Rich Lazzara — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:12:57 +0000

Lewis, very cool. So I would say you probably learned a lot working with your father early on. Really cool to hear you using your talents for fundraising. Feel free to post the link to it here if you want to. thanks for the comments.

By: Lewis Butler

Lewis Butler — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:59:19 +0000

My first job was helping my father at estate auctions.

Started a company a few months after finishing grad school, and I am also in the process of setting up (and fundraising for) a non profit.