Compared to your peers (the other students at this event), how do YOU feel that YOU compare to THEM?
Don’t over-think it. Just answer HONESTLY. We ALL have Strengths AND Weaknesses!

I’ll come back to this column when I have more time to elaborate more on what the point was, what the results might imply, and why we think #SelfAwareness is so important — particularly for entrepreneurs! [Editor’s Note: Who are you kidding?? — you have 237 columns just like this one that you’ve been planning to come back and edit or finish for years! And, weren’t you planning to…

So (of course!) there is an incredibly skewed perception of just how many entrepreneurs and startups are struggling and failing (~99%?) compared to the success stories (~1%?)…

While you might hear (or speculate) the reasons for failure by any 1, 2, or 5 individual entrepreneurs/startups, the reality is that, on a macro-level, almost NOBODY is hearing the real/full stories of a large enough percentage of the failures to be able to extrapolate anything even close to enough statistically relevant data to look for patterns and trends (among the ~99% failures) without just guessing at causation vs. …

“Professional Buzz-Kill” as Provider of Brutally Honest (“Tough Love”) Feedback for Entrepreneurs. [RealisticRick.com]
Viral Product Creator (and Preacher of “Viral Thinking” & “Viral Math”). [ViralWhatever.com]
Most ADD Entrepreneur in America (and it’s cute that you probably assume that’s hyberbole) [www.IamADD.com]
Past: The Rejection Hotline & HumorHotlines.com
Present: “ReThinkingStartups.com” & “ReThinkingWhatever.com”
Future: The “Starter Startups” Movement, MultipleBaskets.com, TheWhateverNetwork.com

2 Areas of Expertise:

1. VIRALITY: I created the original “Rejection Hotline” & 50+ other VIRAL VENTURES (collectively engaging 495+ MILLION people) and I enjoy sharing my (XX years of) Experience/Expertise, Lessons Learned, Techniques/Tips/Tricks & some “Secret Sauce” #AndAnAlliterationAddiction NOTE: I can’t promise you will be making things…

Anyone can talk/write about MICRO-level reasons why any particular entrepreneur/startup struggled…

And anyone can talk/write about specific circumstances surrounding the failures of any given (individual) entrepreneur/startup.

But the one (or 3? or 10?) first-hand or second-hand accounts that many have seen/heard/experienced simply isn’t a large enough sample-size to identify patterns or draw any statistically-relevant conclusions to help current/future entrepreneurs — particularly each new year of young and/or first-time founders.

I’ve now interviewed 250+ entrepreneurs, observed 500+ more from close range, and I’ve now seen 1000+ startup pitches and I‘ve become borderline-obsessed with identifying the MACRO-level reasons, the 10,000-feet view of the patterns and most persistently-pervasive problems & pitfalls that are persistently…

Yes, of course we all like to SAY:

“I learned more from my failures than I did from my successes”

“It’s not about how many times you get knocked down, it’s how many times you get back up”

“Live and learn… Nobody said it would be easy… It’s always darkest before the dawn… [blah blah blah]”

But, let’s be honest…

*IF* we were given a time machine, wouldn’t the vast majority of us simply choose to learn all those same lessons, but WITHOUT the Stress/Struggles & Mistakes/Miscues… WITHOUT the loss of so much valuable Time/Money (and Sleep/Sanity)… and WITHOUT all the soul-crushing Knockdowns, Breakdowns, Hardships, and eventual Failure…???

[Editor’s Note: The greater…

ABSURD (Absurdly Accurate?) ANALOGY — Re: Experienced Entrepreneurs Who Just Watch as 1st-Time Entrepreneurs Fail at the Same Rates & For the Same Reasons We’ve Seen Over & Over for Years!

First Half of Analogy:

“Oh, no! You got hit by a car?!?

Was it perhaps a silver 2015 BMW X3…?

…that ran a red light at the corner of Piedmont and Peachtree…??

…on a Tuesday, around 9:07am…???”

— Wow! Yes, that’s exactly right! How did you know that?!?

“ LOL… No surprise there — we’ve been seeing that exact same thing happen just like that for years!! It’s a shame nobody tried to warn you.

Oh well. Sorry to hear it happened to you too. Good luck with those broken legs!”

— WTF?!

— VS. —

Second Half of Analogy:

“Oh, no! You’re…

Please contact info@StartupWhatever.com for more info and/or to get involved with any our stuff!

PROGRAMS, WORKSHOPS, COMPETITIONS…

• INTRO Info Session: What/Why/How/Who for ALL Programs, Workshops, Competitions, & Startup/CoFounder Opportunities
  GOALS — To explain/elaborate on: WHAT we’re doing, HOW we’re doing it, WHO we are (& who we hope YOU are) and the big WHY (premises/rationales) for ALL our WHATEVER Programs

VIDEO OVERVIEW (of Premises, Programs, Products, etc.)

(3min 45sec — but feel free to skip and scroll down to continue reading)

Some of our upcoming programs:

• #JoinUs for our “LAUNCH & LEARN” Programs! AGENDA: 1) Strategic Premises/Philosophies of PROGRAM; 2) Viral Premises for 64+ PRODUCTS; 3) Questions/Discussion; 4)…

Back in the ~1700’s, the average life expectancy was ~35 (horrific by today’s standards!), but it wasn’t really seen as “a problem” because that’s “just the way it [was]” so most people couldn’t even fathom a world where we routinely live to be 80, 90, or 100+.

Now, let’s talk about today’s horrific ~99% failure rate for startups — that we somehow accept as “just the way it is”?!?! NOTE: It’s difficult to solve problems if we don’t acknowledge there are problem to be solved!

AT THE TIME — without the benefit of hindsight — was anyone back then thinking…