Comments on: 7 Characteristics of the Entrepreneurial Life

By: David Collett

David Collett — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 01:35:01 +0000

RSS – very sound advice.

I’ve been thinking about work/life recently and came up with this.

http://conceptualsandpit.blogspot.com/2005/11/strategy-for-living-life.html

By: Stuart

Stuart — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 22:23:40 +0000

A great post Darren and very timely for us as we battle the isolation and loneliness challenge in different ways.

By: RSS

RSS — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 22:18:48 +0000

Thanks Darren for the great article. I’d like to comment on the loneliness / workaholic factors. I’ve been working solo with various web ventures off and on since 1998, and every time I pick up a new project I find myself locking myself in the office and in turn shunning friends and loved ones. Launching a business is completely exhilerating internally, but without anyone to share it with the excitement tends to evaporate a little more quickly than other forms of exhileration.

I can easily work seven 12-hour days every week and still feel like I haven’t accomplished anything. Maintaining a firm schedule designed to curb my workaholic tendencies is the only way I’ve found to keep myself well-rounded and happy, and in turn energized enough to make every ounce of energy I put into my work count.

At the beginning of each week I designated 2 days that I’m going to work 12 hours without distractions (Monday and Friday) and 1 day that I will have completely off (Sunday). The remaining 4 days I divide the day into 3 hour segments, and dedicate two of those segments to work, one segment to chores, errands and studies, and one segment to play. As soon as that 3 hour segment is up, I make myself either stop working or get to work, no matter what the circumstances are. These 3 hour segments allow me either a great breakfast or dinner with the girlfriend or a night out with the boys without being hard on myself for not working enough. And at the end of the week, each of the 50 hours I put into work were all solid hours.

Cheers, Ryan

By: Small Office, Home Office Information » Blog Archive » The Small Business Entrepreneur

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 22:11:20 +0000

[...] Darren Rowse has some interesting thoughts on Seven Characteristics of the Entrepreneurial Life over at his blog and they are well reading and thinking about. [...]

By: Dion Kramer

Dion Kramer — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 12:27:50 +0000

Hi Darren,

Simply wanted to let you know that I have enjoyed reading your blog for several months now. I stumbled upon your blog via Yaro Starak at Entrepreneur’s Journey.

Anyway, Im about to switch off for 2005 and I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Kind regards, Dion Kramer.

(Brisbane, Australia)

By: InternetBrowser.org

InternetBrowser.org — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 10:17:06 +0000

Probably my reply is in context with your post or perhaps it is not. But anyways I’d also like to share the following few points I made at my blog yesterday about certain to-do’s/not-to-do’s in a venture.

To-do’s & Not-to-do’s in a venture — in summary:

1. Bootstrap if possible (to-do)
2. Do not be over optimistic (Not-to-do)
3. Take calculated risks (To-do)
4. Do not overspend (To-do)
5. Listen to your users/Seek opinion & feedback/Be proactive (To-do)
6. Perform usability studies (To-do)
7. Research your market and nail down the requirements (To-do)
8. Do not over-do (To-do)
9. More talk(marketing) & less walk(development) (Not-to-do)
10. Keep it(a product/service) simple and yet configurable (To-do)
11. Don’t give up on your dreams (To-do)
12. Learn from mistakes (To-do)
13. Ignore profitablity plan/exit criteria (Not-to-do)
14. Develop a brand (to-do)

–An avid Internet browser

By: Aviad Ben Dov

Aviad Ben Dov — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 08:03:57 +0000

I’ve also started my own business a couple of months ago, although I’ve started it together with a friend. We’re trying to bring the “fun” that is in shops such as ThinkGeek and Jinx to Israel. I can see all 7 characteristics in the work, except that I see “Loneliness” differently, as I love working alone and at some points a partnership is aching to that. However, I do enjoy it – And it does bring me to pace when I slack a bit from time to time.

Lately I’ve started blogging my experiences with using the Java technology to build the e-shop and other projects I take with time, and I could see that a lot of how I felt in making the e-shop and getting it known (still a work in progress, let me tell you that) is happening all over again with the blog.

By: Mathew Patterson

Mathew Patterson — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 05:41:30 +0000

I'm am also just starting up my own company, and this post is very timely for me. One of the great benefits of the internet for me is that I can more easily find people like you (and Ben) and share common experiences. It can be tricky when all your existing relationships are with people in full time employment, and not particularly understanding of the particular issues you might be facing. I'm trying to start blogging all the issues I come across in starting my business over at my website, for my own benefit and because I promised it to members of the Designers Inhouse mailing list. This is the kind of resource I'll be pointing out. Thanks! Mathew.