Just an observation about what seems like the saturation of “get rich” and entrepreneurial books, CDs and TV shows lately: A good example is Donny Deutsch’s Big Idea, a nightly show on CNBC that shows entrepreneurs who have made it big, or would like to. Is it me, or is this show like always on? I know that these “get rich quick” or “become a millionaire”-type books aren’t new. In fact, they have been popular for as long as I can remember, but they seem to have had a resurgence lately. I wonder if it has to do with the faltering economy we’re in.
I’m all for people having big goals, going for their dreams and trying to make it – but it seems to me that our culture creates many “serial entrepreneurs” who risk everything they have to be the next overnight millionaire, often not realizing how long it can take. If it doesn’t happen quickly, they’re onto their next venture.
Many people fail to understand that many of the so called “overnight millionaires” worked their butts off for years, overcame countless rejections, and persevered for a long time before finally “making it.” Their seemingly “overnight” success took years! If anyone exists who really did make it “overnight,” then I’d say that he or she did all the right things, but was also at the right place at the right time, in the right industry, etc. These are the exceptions, though, not the rule.
Most entrepreneurs make it by steadily working at it, year after year, gradually reaching their goals, slowly but surely. That’s how you make it! Just as most financial planners will advise you to investing in the long term, the same concept applies to building a business. It’s a long, continual journey. But we don’t hear too much about the gradual way to build a business – that idea doesn’t sell and isn’t nearly as appealing as launching the next big product in the immediate gratification culture we live in.
Keep in mind – for every person that made it, there are hundreds who are flat out broke and in debt, their lives ruined from the reckless manner in which they “went for it,” and not having the persistence or patience to really build a business. But we don’t ever hear their stories on Donny Deutsch’s Big Idea. They don’t sell books about the tens of thousands of entrepreneurs who went into debt trying to launch a product, and are still in debt and haven’t made it.
If your product or service takes off quickly and makes you an overnight success, then that is awesome and more power to you. But if that doesn’t happen, that doesn’t mean that you should throw in the towel and look for your next overnight venture. Rather, work at your business, build it slowly. To use an old cliché, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and most successful businesses aren’t either.