Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit. ~ Napoleon Hill
Lately it seems everybody's talking about entrepreneurship. It makes perfect sense given the condition of the American economy and the grim reports on unemployment. Apparently, the unemployed are becoming unemployable and young, black males are facing an even bleaker unemployment rate. Enter entrepreneurship. Its quickly becoming clear that becoming an entrepreneur is no longer about doing what you love or having certain personality traits. Today, entrepreneurship is about survival!
Its no wonder “entrepreneurial niche celebrity” is on the rise! Now that many people must become entrepreneurs out of necessity, they are desperately trying to find out how to do it. Last week, I wrote an article about The Incarati, a term I coined to describe these entrepreneur celebrities. Clearly there is something to becoming a celebrity in your entrepreneurial niche as evidenced by Saturday's New York Times article, “No Jobs? Young Graduates Make Their Own.” The article showcases Scott Gerber's “Death to the Resume Movement” and the stories of several other Incarati-types.
As a companion to that article, the New York Times also created a blog post asking, “Can College Graduates Create Their Own Jobs?” Many commenters rejected the notion that anyone can start their own business. One commenter, wrote about the high probability of failure, stating,
The successes are loudly trumpeted. But the failures are only whispered about.
Another commenter wrote,
The way the rules of the game are being evolved (ever greater efficiencies in business all the time) there are always a number of winners, but more and more are losers, despite their best efforts . . . I believe the sad fact is the economy needs people as consumers, much more than it needs them as producers.
What bugs me about these statements is that they suggest that there are other options! But there aren't any other options! The millions of people who have been looking for a job for over a year are proof that there are no other options! Let's face facts, people!!
If food were suddenly scarce and you had to hunt to eat, would you not try your hand at hunting for fear of failure? Or would you hunt every damn day despite repeatedly failing to make a kill because you had to eat to survive?!
The reality and the gravity of the situation, as I understand it, boils down to this: At some point you have to go out into the forest and shoot your own dinner! And for many, dare I say most, that point has arrived.
Thanks to all of those who participated in the contest I posted last week by sharing the free content they'll be giving away in 2011!! The prize is one of two copies of David Siteman Garland’s new book, Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Non-Boring, Fluff-Free Strategies For Marketing And Promoting Your Business. There were so many great ideas listed that I could not decide, so I wrote the names of all of the qualifying participants on pieces of paper and had my husband select two out of a hat (very scientific!!). So the two winners are: Jay Moffitt and Mike Whelan, Jr! Jay and Mike, send me an email at info@rachelrodgerslaw.com with your address so I can send you your prize!!
