Vinod shared an interesting post inspiredfrom a talk he gave at an event in Nagpur, on Sunday:

I read the article shared in that post this morning, and it was quite powerful. Let me state that I am not in agreement with the massive extrapolation of $1 million in 1878 to a $900m in 1930s. There is a gap of more than 50 years in which many things could have happened. Also, let’s not forget the fact that Sam Andrews died in 1904 so he would not have been around to enjoy his gain!

I do agree with Vinod that an entrepreneur must exude certain confidence, spunk and calmness under pressure. But most people are not born with such qualities so a ‘fake it till you make it’ attitude is required in the early stages which could be shrouded in a fake ego. However, an individual can quickly lose awareness of the fake ego and it can be replaced with a real one when success gets into the place it shouldn’t – the head.

But the one quality that has been consistent in successful entrepreneurs in our portfolio is their ability to drown the ego and ask for advice and help from people that can push them to get better in their role as an entrepreneur, manager or networker. They not only remember the advice given but also provide feedback on whether that advice is working for them or not and ask for pivots.

The creation, nurturing and growth of ego takes the entrepreneur away from the exact qualities that made him/her great in the first place. Therefore, I agree with Vinod that a fake ego is required but the entrepreneur should have a person who can act as their totem and remind them if they have gotten lost in the very thing they created.

16/2019