Paint Life Rosy or Show a Gray Picture?
I am involved in supporting many startups (though I would not dare claim, in overly grand terms, that I am building an entire “startup ecosystem” in Vietnam). In fact, we should not assume that anyone engaged in supporting entrepreneurship is merely good at painting a rosy picture of this path and encouraging young people to quit their jobs and start companies en masse without considering the consequences.
Any judgment that is not based on true understanding and acceptance that there are always many different “standards” is somewhat shallow. Being different from you does not make something wrong, and everyone being like you does not make the world peaceful. Learn to abandon the habit of wanting to “dominate,” of believing people must fit your standards to be good. I have met a few such people and found they often lose energy and suffer because of their ingrained desire to “dominate” (even in thought).
Actually, startup support activities have more depth than we imagine. Over many years of organizing these activities, I have learned that even when a young entrepreneur brings you the wildest ideas, you have no right to judge him—yes, you have no right. Treat that young person with all the sensitivity you possess.
So I believe we should encourage entrepreneurship carefully, inspiring young people to follow their passion and realize their dreams while also giving them the most realistic possible view of the ‘traps’ they will encounter on this difficult path. Which path to choose is up to them.
I often bring that “spirit” into my interview responses about entrepreneurship in Vietnam. The following interview is an example.
SHOULD YOU START A BUSINESS AFTER BECOMING UNEMPLOYED?
[Question from Tiếp thị và Gia đình newspaper]
– Many people are currently unemployed because of the overall economic situation. In your view, Tuấn, can starting one's own business be considered a way out of unemployment? Who is suited to entrepreneurship and who is not (since rushing to open a company without experience will inevitably lead to failure)?
[Answer – I have reproduced my entire response verbatim, before editing]
There is always an opportunity in something. Even unemployment can be a chance to build your own “kingdom,” viewed positively.
However, that is only an incidental benefit, not the main reason, because all success in life requires great aspiration, strong belief, thorough preparation, and the ability to act boldly and decisively.
If your dream is not big enough and you do not truly ‘believe’ intensely in your direction, do not do it. Even if you do, you will lack momentum, struggle along weakly, and after a few days feel something is wrong, become afraid and discouraged, and return to looking for a job to earn a living.
People who should not start a business in this situation:
-Lacking sufficient experience, knowledge, skills, and resilience. Learn as you go? Okay, but you must have one of two things: either natural aptitude or a minimum foundation prepared through experience accumulated during your years at the previous company.
-Never having held a role in business development, sales, resource organization, or management at the previous company.
-Lacking the courage to become wealthy.
-Having too many responsibilities, such as a spouse and children, without sufficiently strong financial backing to throw yourself “wholeheartedly” into the venture.
-Not having saved enough money to sustain the business and live without a salary for 1 year after leaving a job.
-Not having built enough relationships or secured “output,” meaning customers/contracts, before leaving a job.
-Not clearly understanding “Why do I need to start a business?” — a seemingly simple question that few people clearly grasp.
There are 2 types of people who should start a business in this situation:
-Or having “nothing to lose”
-Either already having the minimum resources to start a business: experience, relationships, and capital.
But what they share is a burning desire to succeed.
Ultimately, everyone has their own way of succeeding, so take this as advice to consider. The choice remains yours. But as the saying goes, your choices shape your destiny. You control your choices, no one else, and you bear 100% responsibility for their results.
TMT
Tạ Minh Tuấn – TMT – is a successful entrepreneur pioneering several startup fields in Vietnam, 1 of Vietnam's 30 most outstandingly successful and influential people in the prestigious “30 Under 30″ ranking by Forbes, the world's leading business magazine, and the founder of YUP! Start-Up Education & Incubation Centrer (www.yup.edu.vn).
