Jan 6
Makers and Takers
You have to decide which you’ll be
You can divide the world of people any way you want. Rich and poor, good and bad, happy and sad, the list is endless. But, the dichotomy I’ve been most interested in is that between the Makers and the Takers.
Being in the world of business consulting, I’ve met many people who are starting or planning business ventures. Being a psychiatrist in that world has given me a rare perspective, and allowed me to plumb to the origins of this dichotomy. First, the Makers.
The Makers need a reason to start a business besides making money. They are rooted in the solution to a problem. For the maker, a business is making money solving other people’s problems. The solution comes first; the money follows. The maker wants to leave the world a better place. They want to iterate the build, so to speak. They want to build on what they have found, and they want others to build on what they leave. They don’t need to make a pile and get out quick. They want to keep building. They may be a serial entrepreneur, but their start-ups aren’t just for the sake of starting up. Each one is focused on a problem they see the need to fix.
The taker needs no such problem. For them, the goal is to make money. If there’s no problem to solve, no problem. Just make something people want and sell it to them. The need is not necessary. The thing they sell can actually be a waste of resources, and it doesn’t matter. Because money is the goal, the taker will not risk anything of their own. There’s no larger mission, so there’s nothing worth the risk. Other people’s money is a much more attractive thing to risk. This leads the taker to build a narrative, sell it, and get out before it breaks. They are rarely in it for the long haul.
Unfortunately, takers can do well in the short run, and it takes a special kind of person to not be discouraged by that. So many who could be makers just don’t even start. They see others who aren’t in it for anyone but themselves doing very well financially and think, “Well, no one wants what I’ve got to give.”
If you see a problem in the world and want to change it, go for it. Start something up. If you can’t do it alone (and you can’t), ask for help. Working with other like minded people can be an insulation against the discouragement of watching takers ‘take it all.’ Together, your group can support each other longer than any of you could go it alone. If you want to change the world, do it. You’ll come up with a better solution than the takers, and eventually, people will choose yours.
If, on the other and, you don’t see any problems other than that you don’t have enough money, then maybe you want to go ahead and take some. You may get enough. Who knows? But before embarking on that journey, give this a moment’s consideration. After you have enough, what will you do with your life? When you have everything you want, what will your life mean? It may seem unimaginable to you now, but that day comes for every successful taker. I’ve seen many lose their moorings and metaphorically spin off into destruction. Your rate of return on your investment is zero if you’re dead. And most takers I’ve met end up dead inside at the very least.
So, if you’re a young person starting out, and you’re deciding on what to start on, consider where you want to go. Will you head for the land of plenty where people are glad you existed in their lives and return your value with some of their own? Will you head for the land of scarcity where you have to take or you won’t have enough and where, if you’re successful, people will curse you for having more than them? Which of these people will you be?
No matter where you choose, remember this one thing. At the end of the road, you’ll be the only one there. Choose your company wisely.
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Dr Wetsman is retired from the practice of addiction psychiatry and currently studying data science. He also has a confidential consulting practice for companies that want to achieve the change they desire. He has released his serial Ending Addiction.
