Written while listening to “Don’t Give Up” by Peter Gabriel featuring Kate Bush
I tell this story often. Once, in my early teens, I ran into my parents room to share some brilliant concept (I was that precocious - slightly obnoxious - “new idea every minute” kind of kid). Upon hearing my clearly extraordinary idea, my father (a brilliant technologist, innovator and my first, most consistent believer/early investor) gave a sigh and said, “Of course we will support you, Stevie. But, ya know, there is nothing worse than an idea that can’t be executed.”
As the air slowly began to leak from my balloon of blind enthusiasm, my passionate, restaurateur/decorator mother spoke up and said, “True. But if it’s not a revolution, why bother?”
Wow, talk about setting your kid up for a life of pain: only focus on executable, revolutionary ideas. No prob.
But the truth is, they were both correct. My dad knew that dreamers tend to focus more on the dreaming than on making it come true. Whereas my dear, departed mother knew that it takes wild, fearless dreamers to truly bring about change.
However, over the years I learned that there is another element to sparking a revolution that requires significantly more than the ability to come up with an idea… something even harder than working your ass off to execute on a vision. And, sadly, no self-help/inspirational book can ever fully prepare you to take on this challenge. What’s the most important thing you need to truly execute on a revolutionary idea? Patience.
Throughout my career I have been asked what it means to be an entrepreneur. This has long been my answer: The single most important characteristic you need to be a successful entrepreneur, is the ability to overcome a never-ending series of obstacles that would make most people quit.
Patience is persistence + a healthy touch of stubbornness + unwavering belief. Of course, I should also mention that a modicum of realism is pretty crucial as well. I mean, let’s be honest, not every swing of the bat is a home run. But, if you walked up to the plate assuming you will never get a hit… why did you pick up the damn bat? (Okay, enough with the baseball metaphors).
A long time ago I saw a cartoon that forever haunts my dreams. It embodies one of the things I legitimately fear the most: giving up.
Sure, it is a bit of a cliche. But, as I and my team have spent the last decade working (in relative silence) to build a creator and fan-powered replacement for the entertainment industry’s centralized system of marketing and distribution, this image has been ever-present in my mind.
Whether you have ample capital or you are totally boot-strapping, being an entrepreneur can feel like a Sisyphean struggle. The rock is heavy and the hill is steep. Creating change is hard in a world that profits from keeping things the same. But, as I say all the time:
If it was easy, everyone would do it. But if it wasn’t worth it, no one would.
The key then, is to keep digging. To repeatedly overcome those obstacles that send other people packing. To believe. To not look at the clock and fear the time. To know that the winner of the race is always the first person who doesn’t quit. The truth is, it doesn’t matter how long it takes. Changing the world is hard. So breathe, build, repeat.
Pick up your pick axe, dear friends. Swing with all your might. And remember, what you see before you right now, no matter how challenging, is exactly what it looks like just before you break through. So don’t you dare give up.
I am cheering for all of you. Friends. Doubters. Competitors. Allies. I am inspired by you all. I’ll see you at the finish line. Drinks are on me.
The Importance of Being Persistent