Entrepreneurship 101: Entrepreneurship and the Internet

The most common question asked of me, usually at social gatherings where genuine banter is in short supply (usually because prohibition has been declared for the duration of the event) and in order to break an awkward silence, so what is your one tip for new entrepreneurs?

Just as there are no silver bullets, or unicorns for that matter, there is no one tip to end all tips that will help an entrepreneur an "overnight success." From my point of view, the fault is not in the question, but the perception that there is a formula or a sure-shot path to success. A perception pedalled particularly to gullible millenials, who globally appear to be struggling with the concept that one must actually work and solve real problems with real solutions, in order to be successful.

Back to the question: while nobody is successful just because their parents taught them as kids that they could be anything they wanted, there is one thing that I've learned not to do:

Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

Now, I can almost guarantee you're sitting there going, who the fuck doesn't know this? But think about it, whenever you come across a problem, where do you go? Exactly.

This problem is compounded by the fact that in times of uncertainty, it is human nature to lower our defences and objectivity. It's published on the internet, how can it not be true? Right?

Our ancestors probably turned to astrologers and sages to seek their wisdom. Our parents used to turn to textbooks or their parents when looking for answers. We inherently turn to random people we've never met, who may or may not know what they're writing about, but still manage to dupe us into believing them. At least our ancestors and parents weren't getting their information from faceless men of the Labor party.

Asking Uncle Google for help on how to succeed as an entrepreneur is as futile as assuming the entrepreneurship class at university will teach you all you need to know. Trust me, I've done my fair share of said classes back in the day. I look back at them now and think, WTF was I thinking? How could an academic who has never run a business in his life teach me about how to hire a great team or to teach the team to lock the door on that one night where I'm not the last to leave or even about how to get my first customer? How?

(I apologise to the academics in my family. I wasn't referring to you, only some of your friends who haven't spent a day in the real world.)

In my book, the only thing worse than asking Google for the silver bullet is accepting the advice of the know-it-all that we all have in our lives. The same person who thinks they could actually teach entrepreneurship at university and would've also built Uber 15 years ago, but couldn't because...you know...the government got in the way and their parents forced them to get married and smartphones didn't exist, yaar.

So back to the question again: the only way to learn how to enjoy any success as an entrepreneur is to talk to real people who are or were on a similar journey, face-to-face. To build or be part of a team and networks you can turn to when ideas need a wall to bounce off. To experiment with your options in real-life situations after you've performed the best possible analysis. To trust your gut because every successful business was born out of instinct, and only later was structure added to make the said business successful and repeatable.

The internet is great for making money. Just not for learning how to do it. No?