Here's to the Crazy Entrepreneurs Is Entrepreneurism a Mental Disorder?

Real entrepreneurs live in a world where they constantly hear, “Are you crazy? or “What have you been smoking?” when they announce to their friends, family, and colleagues they are starting a business. They are the ones who hear, “It can’t be done?” from all the naysayers who are not willing or able to leave their comfort zones. Real entrepreneurs are the ones who think and act differently. They are the ones who see opportunities that others cannot see. Real entrepreneurs are not like “normal” people. They are the “crazy ones” Steve Jobs described in Apple’s Think Different ad who change the world. They are the ones who like operating “at the edge without a net.” They identify with Karl Wallenda –the great high wire artist – when he said, "Life is on the wire, the rest is just waiting.” They are the ones who cannot retire. Their lives revolve around sensing and seizing opportunities. While most people think the greatest frustration for entrepreneurs involves seeking sufficient funding, their greatest frustration is that the opportunity clock is always ticking. As one entrepreneur noted, “There are so many opportunities, but so little time.” Instead of celebrating their entrepreneurial successes, they go to their grave thinking about the opportunities they did not seize. They are the ones who know entrepreneurship is not a spectator sport. Real entrepreneurs are like moths driven to the flame. Their opportunity radar is always scanning the marketplace for situations where people are not having their needs met well enough or at all. They know that for every problem, every sense of frustration, and every source of pain, there is a potential entrepreneurial opportunity. They are the ones who sense what people want before they know it. They are the ones who find a way to make possible what others consider impossible. They are the ones who are willing to “step into the darkness” and to “take the leap of faith.” They are like explorers. They thrive on “Boldly going where no one has gone.” In a world full of path takers, they are the path makers. They are the ones who create ventures that change the way the game is played. They are the ones who create firms that disrupt markets and create new markets. They are the serial entrepreneurs who constantly think about their “next venture(s)” while managing their current venture. They are the multipreneurs who create and run multiple ventures rather than having just one business at a time. Normal people cannot understand what drives real entrepreneurs. The only people who understand real entrepreneurs are other entrepreneurs. Here’s to the Crazy Entrepreneurs takes the reader into the minds of the people who change the marketplace and who, in some cases, change the world. Stephen C. Harper demonstrates an uncanny insight in to what makes entrepreneurs tick. In his latest book, Here’s to the Crazy Entrepreneurs he investigates whether entrepreneurism is a mental disorder or if “normal” people are actually the ones who are crazy by risking their mortgages, careers, and future by working for someone else.