Things Entrepreneurship Teaches You (or: OMG Darth Vader’s in that cave!!)

I’ve been working on side projects all week instead of what I ought to be working on. Instead of what I’d like to be working on.

Why have I been working on side projects all week?

Because Darth Vader is in that cave, and I’m scared to go in.

If you haven’t seen the original Star Wars trilogy at least once in your life, you owe it to yourself. Not because the visuals are great (by today’s standards, they aren’t) or because Star Wars is a pop culture meme (it is), but because…

Star Wars is a perfect metaphor for entrepreneurship.

Luke Skywalker starts out as little more than a kid on some godforsaken desert planet. He wants to get away from his aunt and uncle, and the dull drudgery of trying to farm in a freakin’ desert! After securing a mentor in the wise and powerful Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke begins to learn the ways of the Force. When Kenobi is cut down by the dark lord Darth Vader, Luke has to go it alone, and meets with some initial success in the Rebel army.

When Luke goes to visit Yoda to receive more advanced training in the ways of the Force, he is confronted with the Dark Side – both of the Force and of himself – in a cave on Yoda’s planet.

That’s where I’m stuck.

I’ve gotten off of the godforsaken desert planet (the Dreaded Day Job). I’ve met many wonderful people who have been my Obi-Wan Kenobis. I’ve gone it alone(ish) for a bit and had some initial success.

But I still don’t know the first thing about the Force. And I have to go into that cave to learn it. And Darth Vader is in that cave.

Enough with the metaphor. What are you talking about?

Three months ago, when this thing started up (or even a month ago, when I left the DDJ) I wouldn’t have admitted I was scared of the cave, or even that there was a cave. I definitely wouldn’t have known or even guessed that the cave is filled with Hard Stuff from my past.

Entrepreneurship (which I’ve so far only dipped my toe into) has taught me a lot of things so far. Including:

Humility

Entrepreneurship has taught me how many things I don’t know. It’s brought me up against limitations I didn’t know I had, and made me push through them. It’s introduced me to a lot of other humble people who are keeping it real in a way that’s pretty hard for me to do right now.

Humility means being honest and upfront with yourself and others about your weaknesses. Humility is recognizing that everyone (even though you may disagree with them) has value. Humility is entering into interactions to provide value to others.

To be clear: Humility is the opposite of self-attack. Self-attack doesn’t help anyone.

Negotiation

With others – and with yourself. Whether it’s negotiating a business lease or deciding whether to take the rest of the day off because you’re feeling a bit under the weather, everything is a negotiation in entrepreneurship. Negotiation is about both parties extracting the most value from an interaction or exchange. It can’t happen between people who are are only focused on seeing what they can grab.

The value of relationships.

You get to know people by providing value to them. And the more value you provide, the more value you receive from others. Relationships are extremely important in the online world. Everyone knows that. Everyone knows someone who’s been helped (or hurt) by the power of social media to promote people and their products. Having a solid relationship with a small tribe of people means never eating alone at the proverbial table.

Provision of value.

Notice how I’ve talked about “providing value” in each of the above headings?

There’s a reason people become entrepreneurs. (I’ve talked a little about this before.) The reason is because entrepreneurship provides an immaterial value on top of a material value. The immaterial value differs depending on the entrepreneur – but no matter what form it takes, it’s something that only owning our own business can provide.

There’s also a reason why people buy from you or you buy from them. A transaction takes place when someone wants the thing that they’re buying more than the money it takes to buy it. Provide enough value to customers, and you’ll get paid.

This also goes for social interactions. How likely are you to want to hang out with a consistently negative person? How about a greedy or vengeful one? Unless you’re a masochist, you probably avoid these people. They provide no value to you.

On the other hand, you’re very likely to want to hang out with someone who RTs something awesome you’ve written, or is a source of useful and interesting news, or who is friendly and helpful. Why? Value.

You learn each of these things by succeeding… but also by failing.

I live in pretty much constant fear of being a douche. In pretty much constant anxiety to provide value. A lot of that comes from the cave – and as I confront Darth Vader I think the anxiety will recede.

But everyone makes mistakes. They take the hustle too far or make inane comments or say completely the wrong things. And people (sometimes out of their own humility and desire to provide value, and sometimes because they’re douchey themselves) will let you know about it. Loudly. And then you learn.

Everybody has a cave.

I have a cave. You have a cave. Everyone you admire has a cave. Havi has a cave. Johnny has a cave. Naomi has a cave. Chris Brogan has a cave. And Darth Vader (or a variant thereof) is in that cave.

But that’s ok.

It’s ok because entrepreneurship has taught us to be humble and patient and to negotiate with ourselves and others, and use the cave as a place for learning or perfecting those skills. Which is what Luke should have done in the cave. Which is why Yoda told Luke not to bring his weapons in there.

The cave is there. It’s real. And it’s a test. Using violence against the Hard Stuff in the cave won’t help – because the Hard Stuff is stronger than us right now. If you sit down and negotiate with the Hard Stuff, maybe you won’t end up chopping off your own head with a lightsaber.

Related Posts:

• Entrepreneur Juice. (or: How Malcolm Gladwell Gave Me My Business Back)
• Why I’m Not Buying Any More Info Products. (or: How Merlin Mann changed my game.)
• The List Is Life (or: Ma’am, step AWAY from the To Do List.)

Tagged as: business stuff, customer service, life, motivation, productivity, self-doubt, work