The Story of an Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur.com, accessed 2/13/2018

A big part of the myth-making behind Capitalism (especially in American Capitalism) are the legends of bold entrepreneurs, striking out to take on great risks to seek great fortunes in the uncertain world of the market economy. Horatio Alger's stories played a big role into the development of the cult of personality surrounding entrepreneurs, and corporate executives and shareholders alike (although the latter two groups especially are rarely of merit to warrant such status, due to the relative stability of their companies and corporate institutions). For the purposes of this post, I will focus primarily on just the actual entrepreneurs who start actual companies with actual sweat equity and risk.

Before I begin, I will say I actually empathize with the actual entrepreneurs and their positions. As a person, I am basically trying to develop and sell an alternative system and logic for managing human societies at large, both domestically and internationally. I am challenging one of the greatest and most established set of social institutions and logics the Western world has known since the medieval Catholic Church, and the feudalism of the landed aristocracy and monarchs. I am risking my life, livelihood, and social reputation on the gamble that a healthier world is possible, and that I can help develop it to the extent that a human can shape things in one lifetime. As of 2018 CE, this fruit is still not ripe, and the outcomes of this gamble are still uncertain for me in my life. I have sacrificed income to get the skills and experiences I need to make this chance a reality, and I have taken on debt for the education that I need. Furthermore, if my product doesn't work, my livelihood will be over, and I'll be a mockery of a human being consigned to either obscurity or a very public retribution. In short, I have taken on the entrepreneur's burden in personal, financial, and social ways, although my goals aren't as small selfish or materialistic.  I have taken on considerable material and immaterial risks to my personal and professional life in exchange for a chance to help shift the course of humanity by just a little bit. I can indeed empathize with the entrepreneurs. So let me begin by saying that the myth of the "self-made man" who "independently lifted himself up by his bootstraps" is utter crap, along with the separate idea that the noblest of goals is the accumulation of personal wealth and capital. This post is designed to break down the myth of the entrepreneur, and reveal those stories for what they are: hallucinations, and egotistical delusions of grandeur.

It started for me with my upbringing. From an early age, I received good nutrition, a healthy social and environmental ecosystem with loving parents in a stable relationship who had the resources and know-how to raise children. That was lucky break number one out of many, and that is arguably the most critical set of factors that can lead to a healthier life. Next came the quality education, that allowed me to be a kid and learn life and social skills along with some academic training. This stable and positive home and school environment enabled me to develop healthy and understand how to effectively handle and calculate risk. Without these advantages that I didn't earn or have much conscious say in, I don't know where my life could have ended up.  Since I have become an adult from that solid base I had no say or influence over, my life still has been a series of small fortunate breaks that enabled me to get through the challenges of not having a job out of college with debt payments to make, and a host of deadend jobs I didn't want to work. I was supported by my parents and taxpayer dollars to buy food and healthcare. As of 28 years old, I still haven't been able to start paying my own phone bill because of my income.

The point of all this, is to say that this streak of luck is not uncommon in entrepreneurial circles. No person can get through the pain and anguish of the entrepreneurs' path without receiving several breaks and support from others. Scratch the surface of a Bill Gates, or any entrepreneur for that matter, and you find a person who was able to cushion theirself with other peoples' help, support, and resources to eventually succeed in what they attempt to do.  Where would Mr. Gates had been if he were not raised around computers (which were new and for privileged people at the time)?  Where would he have been if he didn't have a place to go after dropping out of college, or didn't work at what is now Apple where he learned of the (government funded) research into personal computers? Without an effective and robust social safety net, we won't like produce the next generations of skilled innovators and true entrepreneurs who are able to take risk and bounce back from failures. Far from diminishing businesses, the public social safety net can support them in profound and subtle ways by providing the fertile ground from which people can thrive and reach their full potential. I am living proof of this, as is every actual entrepreneur out there. The others who claim the myth to justify their greed and status in society are flat out delusional and ungrateful individuals, who cannot and will not likely perceive or accept their actual place in the human society.  By not funding social safety nets, and by granting tax cuts and subsidies to companies and executive and shareholder compensation, the "entrepreneurs" of today just taking away the ladder they used to climb up from future generations, and other people in contemporary times. Why should we honor, or bother indulging such small-minded and small-hearted people?