The Entrepreneur’s Risk Matrix
Paul Kedrosky recently had a post about the decline of the number of entrepreneurs. It generated a ton of comments, with a pervasive theme being that there would be more entrepreneurs if it weren’t so risky. This raises something that I’ve thought for sometime is a misconception. Yes, being an entrepreneur is risky, but is it that much riskier than the alternatives? I’ve been an entrepreneur now for several years and have started a couple companies. I remember a conversation with my wife a few years ago in which I suggested that it must be hard to be married to me given all the risk and financial uncertainty associated with my career. She immediately said, “I don’t know that it’s so risky. Is it any riskier than going to work for a big company that can fire you anytime for any reason, many of which have nothing to do with you? At least you’re controlling your own destiny rather than relying on some else to not screw it up.”
