“Entrepreneurship is the ultimate equalizer because it does not discriminate, it does not segregate, and it does not give any man, woman, or child a competitive advantage.”
-Jared Yellin
Let’s play a game, shall we…
When I say the word “ENTREPRENEUR,” what comes to mind?!?
I have asked this question to 100,000’s of people over the years during speaking engagements, online surveys, webinars, etc. and the most common responses are the following…
Exhausting
Risky
All-consuming
Exhilarating
Hard
Expensive
Captivity
Freedom
Overwhelm
Scary
Painful
Lucrative
Limitless
And the list goes on and on and on…
What I find so fascinating is the discrepancy between the words…
Some LOVE it…
Some HATE it…
Some are EXCITED by it…
Some are PETRIFIED of it…
The same word elicits such a wide array of responses and the reason why this is interesting is because...
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS THE ULTIMATE EQUALIZER
Entrepreneurship does not discriminate...
Entrepreneurship does not matter where you came from...
Entrepreneurship does not care about your GPA...
Entrepreneurship does not care about your religious beliefs...
Entrepreneurship does not give anyone a competitive advantage or disadvantage...
But yet - the responses vary like WOAHHH!
Please realize - EVERYONE has the same chance to turn their IDEA into a REALITY...EVERYONE!
I know people that grew up with a ton of abundance and went to top top top universities, attempted entrepreneurship, and FAILED while others SUCCEEDED.
I know people who grew up with almost nothing, skipped college, and became wildly SUCCESSFUL with entrepreneurship while others STRUGGLED.
I mean it…
There is no DNA…
There is no PREREQUISITE…
There is no COURSE…
There is no MANUAL…
There is no perfect HEIGHT or WEIGHT…
What you LOOK LIKE does not matter…
Your INTELLECT is not vital…
And there are countless examples to help reinforce HOW MUCH of an EQUALIZER entrepreneurship really is…
Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star because his editor felt he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”
Oprah Winfrey was publicly fired from her first television job as an anchor in Baltimore for getting “too emotionally invested in her stories.”
Steven Spielberg was rejected by the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts multiple times.
R.H. Macy had a series of failed retail ventures throughout his early career.
Thomas Edison's teachers told him he was “too stupid to learn anything.”
As a child, Albert Einstein had some difficulty communicating and learning in a traditional manner.
Jared Yellin, ME, was accused of plagiarism in my high school honors English class because my teacher said, “This work is too good to be from you as you are NOT a good writer.”
But There is ONE Commonality I Have Seen For All Great Entrepreneurs
Great entrepreneurs may not always succeed, but they will NEVER fail.
Please read this statement once again because this statement epitomizes my point…
Great entrepreneurs may not always succeed, but they will NEVER fail.
There is no GENE for being RELENTLESS…
There is no DNA STRAND for being PERSISTENT…
There is no INHERITANCE that helps with DRIVE…
There is no TOWN that improves RESILIENCE…
There is no GPA that guarantees SUCCESS…
There is no COLLEGE that prepares you for PAIN…
Holding on when others let go is a decision and the reason I state that ENTREPRENEURSHIP is the ULTIMATE EQUALIZER is because YOU and the person NEXT TO YOU and EVERY PERSON has the ability to make this decision.
Doesn’t mean they should OR have to - but they can!
Which means…
You have as much of a fighting chance to build the next AMAZON as Jeff Bezos…
You have as much of a fighting chance to build the next FACEBOOK as Mark Zuckerberg...
You have as much of a fighting chance to build the next TESLA as Elon Musk…
You have as much of a fighting chance to become the next OPRAH, as OPRAH…
It all boils down to the CHOICES you make…
Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Oprah, ME, and any other entrepreneur you follow, work with, etc, made the extremely difficult decision of NOT failing.
And when you decide NOT to fail - you are also deciding NOT to quit.
This does not guarantee success - but it does guarantee that you won’t STOP which is 99% of the battle!
The reason ENTREPRENEURSHIP is the ultimate EQUALIZER is because there are only a few things that matter AND always matter…
1 - Do YOU have what it takes - the grit, the willingness to be afraid and do it anyway, and the vision?
Listen - if the answer is NO, please don’t feel like you have failed. Self-awareness is the most important skill as an entrepreneur because if you KNOW you DON’T have what it takes then find someone who does and play a part inside of their vision. It is FARRRR better to be a #2, #50, #1500 at a company than a #1 if you are certain that you don’t have what it takes to make the idea real.
2 - Is your IDEA worthy - will the market accept it, utilize it, and galvanize energy around it?
Once you decide if you have what it takes…
Now objectively assess your idea…
Is this the RIGHT idea for you to go all-in on…?
Time is just sooooo precious and there are critical years of your life that might be dedicated to the wrong idea. The key is to know as soon as possible, be hyper honest with yourself, and pivot the moment you become aware of what is needed to make the idea work. When I was 23 years old, I was talking with a fellow entrepreneur who was in their 60’s and he said to me…
“Jared, these are critical years in your life - don’t waste them on the wrong idea.” This statement stuck and I am very quick to iterate, pivot, or eliminate if my gut tells me I am NOT onto something.
This does not mean you are giving up - but it does mean you are evolving your idea.
3 - Is the TIMING right - do people already have the need OR are you creating the need?
Becoming a category KING means you are telling people what they want before they even know they want it. This is NOT for the faint of heart and is really only for .0000000001% of Entrepreneurs. It happens to be a road that I would usually NOT recommend because of the expense, pain, and potential risk of not succeeding. But regardless of whether you are creating the need or filling the need, it’s soooooooo important to answer this question…
Is the TIME right?!
A good friend of mine came out with a really cool program and mastermind based on living a vacation-based lifestyle. It’s a time management and process mastery program that once deployed - makes your life feel like a vacation. When she was ready to GO GO GO, COVID hit and she felt that launching a program like this during a time like this was not ideal so she held off. This is an extraordinary discipline and something we can all learn from.
But DON’T mistaken this story as permission to NOT take action - take ACTION even if ACTION equals a delay - find something to do in the meantime that will build momentum.
4 - What is your GO TO market strategy - how will people find your solution?
If you have made it this far - then I am 100% certain you have what it takes which is why the next step is to think with innovation at your core, become novel with your ideas, and build a movement that galvanizes energy around your product, service, mission, cause…
I recommend focusing on relationship capital as the best ROI in a blue ocean for Go-To-Market. Paying for ads, optimizing your website, or installing a bot is NOT the optimal GTM strategy in my opinion whereas finding people who have influence and care as much as you about the solution is the bluest of blue oceans and a far more impactful way to make an impact.
5 - Can you LEAD and BUILD a team? - No one has ever accomplished anything of seismic contribution on their own.
Okay, now we discuss SCALE because the only way your idea becomes something of meaningful value is if you can hire people that have strengths that will fill your weaknesses. This is one thing I have done exceptionally well as an entrepreneur which is the reason why I don’t spend almost any time out of my flame. This holds true for everyone on my team since we are fanatically focused on NOT working on our weaknesses and instead of building a team where strengths are complementary and the right people are in the right place to optimize their days.
6 - Do YOU have what it takes? - Yes, I know I am repeating myself, but this one REALLY matters.
It’s important to self-assess regularly because entrepreneurship for someone who DOES NOT have what it takes but tries anyway is absolutely not worth the pain. As I mentioned, find someone to work with - this will be the greatest way to ensure that your idea reaches the world and if you have an idea - it’s meant to reach the world.
Just so you know, EVERY entrepreneur faces these six opportunities and challenges regardless of their economic status, regardless of their religious beliefs, regardless of where they went to college, regardless of everything…
Which proves the following point...
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS THE ULTIMATE EQUALIZER
Which means…
You have JUST AS MUCH of a chance as the next guy or gal to create what you desire - just focus on these six areas…
AND...if you have made it this far - I would LOVE to see if I can help?!?!
You may or may not know that I am the Founder of CILA LABS and we speak with people with ideas to determine if we can bring enough value to the idea to transform it into a VISION.
What if you have an idea, but have no idea where to go to build your idea?
What if you thought of a technological solution that would change your industry, your community, or even the world, but you have no idea where to begin?
What if you fall short as an entrepreneur because the greatest idea you have ever had requires a development team, and you are not techy, and as a result, your idea dies with you someday?
What if there was a way to Create, Innovate, Launch, and Accelerate your idea so it became REAL, and you were able to get the TEAM of your dreams?
What if CILA is your answer?
We are more than a technology incubator.
We BUILD your ideas…
Literally, we assemble the RIGHT team for you and create your IDEA!
AND, we do this AT COST!
Sometimes, we even invest in your ideas…
And most importantly…
We launch and accelerate your ideas.
Do you want a REAL technology team and a business partner with a proven track record?
If yes, CILA, CILA, CILA!
Learn more at www.CILALABS.com or email us at team@cilalabs.com and we will see if we are mutually the right fit for your WIN-WIN.
Live with Intention,
JY