At a recent conference I was asked to give a keynote speech on success factors, and things that entrepreneurs ought to bear in mind. Not an easy task that, let me tell you. For one thing, there is so much that one can talk about on the subject that it would no longer be containable in a key note address, making the keynote a full day seminar. Two, I frankly thought that there are a helluva lot more entrepreneurs out there who would probably be in a better position to answer the question than I am.

 

Be that as it may, I started my talk with a story that kind of sums up the essence of what I believe an entrepreneur's attitude ought to be like. So here goes:

 

Isaac Stern, a Ukranian violonist and conductor is considered by some as a legendary artiste. As the story goes, after a particularly intense concert, he found himself face to face with a gushing fan, a lady. The lady looked admiringly at the maestro and said, "Oh, I'd give my life to play like you!" Isaac Stern looked at her, and then poker faced he responded, "Lady, That's what I did!"

 

When we enjoy an awesome song, or hastily turn the pages of an immensely creative novel or look at the mind numbing moves of a trapeze artist, what we see is the manifestation of a life time of hard work. Nay, more than that.....we see the life of the artist being played out in front of our eyes.

 

It's the same with an entrepreneur. The day you decide to kick start your new venture you need to ask yourself a fundamental question - "Am I willing to make this my primary goal till I make this the most successful venture in its space?" or better still, "Am I willing to make this my life for the rest of my life?"

 

If the answer is "No", then cruel as it may seem, you would perhaps be better off being the CEO or a Senior VP in some large organization, rather than starting your own venture. There are no half measures when you set up your company. There are no weekends, and there are no days off. There is no night, and no day either. It's a long road that you have decided to walk and you will reach the end of the road only if that's the one thing you are as passionate about as Life itself. Where others might see a tortuous and tiring journey, you see nothing but excitement because each moment you spend on the venture is time spent on what you love the most.

 

And do remember, "Never start a venture just to make money. Start it to make a difference." When you begin something with the intent to change the world, you will build things that impact millions of lives around you. The money will eventually come, but you may not be looking for it even then. You will be too busy living your dream....