Last week, I had a meeting with Sudhir, a successful entrepreneur who started a software firm more than 15 years ago in Cincinnati. Although the meeting was for some other topic we diverted to the all exciting topic of entrepreneurship. Here are some of the comments by Sudhir-
* I enjoy leading projects and meetings, the sales calls and ability to win projects, however, I am a engineer at heart.
* It’s fascinating to see people and company grow. The feeling of satisfaction is great.
* Never complain that it’s too much work (I guess it is an underlying assumption)
However at the end he made an interesting comment. When he started the company in Cincinnati he tried to do everything himself. He was the CFO, CEO, CTO, developer, sales person, marketing officer and sometimes even the janitor. Although he loves his entrepreneurship journey he says that he is an engineer at heart (He holds a PhD. Degree in engineering). He likes creating new things and systems. It would have been better if he had a team where each one is assigned to a particular task like marketing, sales, technology and human resource. That’s what he is going to try for his new start-up in the Silicon Valley. He says that this approach has its own pros and cons. Getting the right team together is the key. It infuses different ideas and thoughts. Effective communication and team work will ultimately be vital for success. However things can also go wrong very easily. Different attitudes, different ideas and personalities can clash instead of synchronization. It’s just like a marriage – You have your responsibilities, commitments and compromises. The moral of the story for any entrepreneur is: Weather you want to do all the initial work by yourself or you want to team up at the founding stage and concentrate on a particular task. Whatever you choose, proper planning, confidence (not arrogance) and commitment are the pillars for success.