• Insights

In recent times, besides Kolaveri di, the biggest viral rage on FB has been Caroline Watson’s blog post called ‘10 reasons to date an entrepreneur.’ I like what you have written, Caroline, but I thought as a mentor I have to flag how these seemingly good traits can become show-stoppers for entrepreneurs.
1. Their sense of possibility.
To date someone who accepts no limitations means that there is no end to how much they are capable of loving you. Their sense of possibility alludes to them being dreamers. All entrepreneurs have to be dreamers, no two ways about it. But most of them are good only at dreaming, they suck at implementation!
2. They see things in ways that others don’t. They understand the power of thought and faith to offer an entirely fresh and inspiring view of a challenging situation.
They not only know to connect the dots, they also know to see dots where none exist. The flipside is that they believe in the power of their vision so much that they forget to do their homework before hitting the marketplace.
3. They know the true meaning of commitment and persistence to an idea, a love, far bigger than themselves.
True. But the biggest problem is they fall in love with their idea so much they refuse to listen even when the prospective customer says that he wants the product tweaked!
4. They attract and draw into their world new people, experiences and opportunities, that make every day of being with them a continual adventure.
Being adventurous is good only if it brings in moolah! It is alright to fly if you can make a living out it. But if it is just for the thrill of flying, unless you have a rich dad, you will thrust a futile experience on your fellow passengers.
5. Their vision for the world extends to a vision of long-term relationships and family life no less important than their cause, but as equal and intrinsic to working together to contribute to the betterment of humanity.
Sure, but you need money to do good to humanity! And to earn that money you need to be grounded. Waxing eloquent about your cause is not going to further your cause, there has to be a sustainable monetization model.
6. They have seen failure and know that it is never what defines a man or a woman. It is their ability to get back up, with integrity, humility and service to a higher cause that builds the character and loyalty necessary for life-long commitment.
What if they refuse to see the writing on the wall every time they are repeating mistakes? Seriously, their epitaph should read: they love their mistakes so much that they keep repeating them!
7. They are passionate souls with tons of energy and a great love and lust for life.
Passion in an entrepreneur unfortunately only refers to ideation. It somehow fizzles out when it comes to implementation!
8. They know the value of partnership in getting things done, the power of teamwork necessary to build something of mutual value.
My biggest peeve is that most entrepreneurs forge partnerships, whether it is with the co-founders or vendors or service providers over barrels of beer and never follow it up with documentation!
At the first hint of a crack in the partnership, they go scampering around like alley rats to the nearest dumpster hoping that they can bury the ugly side of undocumented engagements.
No such luck as they will soon realize! It will claim its pound of flesh.

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date, Nandini Vaidyanathan, relationship