Stop Romanticizing the Grind
There was a time when being a startup founder was glamorous. TV shows made it look fun. Universities encouraged it. Everyone wanted to be the next Zuckerberg.
Marc Andreessen watched this happen and cringed. His answer to 'how do we encourage more entrepreneurs?' was simple: we shouldn't.
The idea of being a tech entrepreneur has been a romanticized concept. I don't think people should be encouraged to do it.
The Ultramarathon Test
Andreessen compares startups to ultramarathons. Would you encourage someone to run 120 miles in the heat? No. That's insane. Most people should not do that.
But the people driven to do it will do it regardless. They don't need encouragement. They need a starting line.
The people driven to do that will do that for their own reasons.
The Daily Experience of Being Told No
Here's what startup life looks like. You need employees. They say no. You need funding. They say no. You need customers. They say no. Half the time they don't even say no. They just ghost you.
Then your product breaks. A competitor punches you in the face. You fix it. Something else breaks. It never stops.
Most of the experience is basically being told no by everybody.
The Rolling Horror Story
Andreessen calls it a constant rolling horror story. Just when you think it's working, something explodes. A recall. A competitor. A key employee quits.
This is the job. Not the exception. The job. If that description makes you excited, you might be an entrepreneur. If it makes you tired, you're not. And that's fine.
It's just this constant rolling horror story.