Article Contributed by Daniel S. Williams
When I was younger I loved the Dr. Seuss stories—The Lorax, Green Eggs and Ham, all of them. Featuring colorful depictions alongside fictional storylines, I found them intriguing with a special “something” about the widely popular works. Though a pseudo-name, Dr. Seuss was a masterful teller of stories, a visionary of sorts from the treatment of environmental concerns to trying new things. The entrepreneurial ecosystem can learn much from the crafting of such powerful stories. As an entrepreneur, it is your responsibility to convey that vision, not unlike the storyteller genius himself, Dr. Seuss.
Tell your tale – As the entrepreneur you have the most intimate connection to your vision as you envision it. Embedded in any good story is a tale that engages and leaves one inspired, as many of the Dr. Seuss works often left me. Not every startup or idea takes off to become the next “unicorn” of the Valley. But every entrepreneur grows their idea chiefly as the byproduct of conveying a profound vision. Making some measurable impact. Often the best storytellers become so by being immensely acquainted with the tale—having told it over and over. Such iterative practice is what an entrepreneur performs—telling your vision to anyone who will listen to it, and hopefully partake in it too. How convincingly one tells the story makes a world of difference, with passion and drive often leading the way.
A professor of mine once said that entrepreneurs often have two distinct “categories” of traits: Rigor and vigor. This is the passion and drive fueling the tale as it unravels. It can either be a story that is uneventful and dull, or it can be one of intrigue and captivation.
Write the future chapters – As an entrepreneur, the story is far from being over. You have worked on the opening few chapters to set the stage for your idea, moved into the middle pages where you may have even developed the vision beyond pencil-and-paper, but there is the second half that remains. It is the most important part where you can craft the vision to incorporate customer feedback, adapt the initial prototypes through a great deal of iteration. Chris Sacca, billionaire entrepreneur and investor, once said on an episode of Shark Tank(on ABC Television) that “ideas are easy” and “execution is the hard part.”
Your ideas will change along the way, malleable to the feedback and inputs of countless individuals from angels, to mentors and advisors, to potential first customers. Regardless of this sometimes radical change the entrepreneur must be able to incorporate the adaptations along the journey into the revised vision. As each tweak is made a new chapter of the story is crafted. Only the story lacks a clearly-defined ending so long as you always seek to make an impact with your venture. There is not a limit to what your idea can be; the limit is how well an entrepreneur is able to define the vision. Each chapter will prove immensely valuable in teaching the entrepreneur something as well—one of the less emphasized benefits of growing your startup venture.
Go and start on your entrepreneurial tale. If you ever need guidance on the way, Dr. Seuss may shed some light on how to get there.
About the Author:
Daniel S. Williams is currently an Advanced-Standing senior at Boston College, majoring in Management with a concentration in Finance in the Carroll School of Management. He also is actively involved in serial entrepreneurial pursuits, including Sandbox SEF and Xperii.