Making Sense of Entrepreneurial Psychosis

KP Reddy wrote an interesting piece and titled it “The Psychosis of An Entrepreneur” and gave some very direct advice when it comes to starting a small business — don’t go it alone. And, I absolutely agree with him. Get investors — get customers — get teammates — get everyone on board to lighten the load. Unfortunately, it is just not realistic for many entrepreneurs and small business owners.

The SBA’s Office of Advocacy says there are 30.2 million small businesses in the USA — and of those, 24.3 are solo-entrepreneurs (1 or 0 employees). Even more telling — this 24.3 is up from 15.4 since 1997. With over 80% of people holding on to their jobs strictly for their paycheck, what can possibly explain the mass inflow of people that want to abandon job security and go out on their own?

In many ways, the entrepreneurial psychosis or craziness is already built-in to the system out there. People abandoning security — what most people want (e.g., a steady paycheck) to pursue a bigger dream or purpose. Noble, but not without its risks. Others have been thrust into the world of entrepreneurship due to a job transition or other life event.

The ability to pay yourself when $0 is coming in or there is a big red net income line is a myth for most business owners and entrepreneurs. Of course, some companies have the luxury of big…