The Grass Isn’t Always Greener: 27 Years of Entrepreneurial Truth.
A candid reflection on the realities of building a business, the myths that mislead aspiring entrepreneurs, and what it truly takes to survive—and occasionally thrive—in the entrepreneurial wilderness.
When I started my entrepreneurial journey 27 years ago, I thought I understood what lay ahead. I was wrong. Like most first-time founders, I believed the grass would be greener on the entrepreneurial side of the fence. Today, with salt-and-pepper hair as my witness, I can tell you that the grass isn’t uniformly green—it’s patchy at best, with occasional verdant spots interspersed among the brown patches of struggle.
The Myth of Instant Green.
Over the years, I’ve watched many former employees take the entrepreneurial plunge. Some jumped with grand visions, others with detailed roadmaps that looked flawless on paper: secure funding, build valuation, execute an IPO or acquisition, then walk away with “tons and tons of money.
The reality? I rarely hear success stories from these departures.
This silence speaks volumes. The entrepreneurial graveyard is littered with dreams built on the myth of the get-rich-quick scheme. We live in an era where a select few have struck gold, creating a narrative that entrepreneurship is a lottery ticket rather than a marathon. This misconception fuels the current startup stampede—and explains why 90% of startups fail.
The harsh truth: those few who “hit pay dirt are statistical outliers, not the norm.
The Long Gestation of Success.
Real entrepreneurship isn’t a sprint to riches—it’s an endurance test that would make an Olympian proud.
Just as athletes don’t accidentally stumble onto podiums, successful entrepreneurs don’t stumble into success. There are no shortcuts.
What It Actually Takes
1. A Burning Desire That Survives Reality.
You need more than enthusiasm; you need an obsession that can withstand years of setbacks. This isn’t passion—it’s something deeper, more primal. It’s the difference between wanting something and needing it to define your existence.
2. The “Why” Factor.
Before you quit your job or pitch investors, answer this: Why does your venture need to exist? Not why you want it to exist, but why the world needs it. If you can’t articulate this clearly, you’re building on sand.
3. Start Small, Think Big.
Remember Birbal finding warmth from a candle burning miles away? Your vision might be distant and dim, but it must be visible enough to guide you through dark periods. Start with minimal viable steps while keeping that distant light in sight.
4. Embrace the Mistake Factory.
Mistakes aren’t just inevitable—they’re your primary education. Each failure should strengthen your resolve, not weaken it. The entrepreneurs who survive aren’t those who make fewer mistakes; they’re those who learn faster from them.
The Price of the Entrepreneurial Path
Here’s what most people don’t tell you about entrepreneurship: it demands sacrifice that employed life never does.
What You’ll Likely Sacrifice:
– Financial security (for years, possibly decades).
– Work-life balance (your business becomes your life).
– Predictable income (feast or famine becomes normal).
– Professional safety nets (no HR department, no guaranteed paycheck)
– Social time (while friends advance in corporate careers, you’ll be grinding).
What You Might Gain:
– Autonomy over your decisions and destiny.
– The possibility of significant financial returns (emphasis on possibility).
– Deep satisfaction from building something meaningful.
– Resilience that serves you in every life area.
– Stories that make for interesting dinner conversations.
The Relentless Test. Twenty-seven years in, I can confirm that the test never stops being severe and relentless. Market conditions change, competitors emerge, team members leave, funding dries up, customers disappoint, and sometimes everything goes wrong simultaneously.
The question isn’t whether you’ll face adversity—it’s whether you’ll maintain that “fire in the belly” when adversity becomes your daily companion.
Surviving the Long Haul
Perseverance Over Perfection: Your first idea probably won’t work. Neither will your second or third.
Success often comes from persistence through iterations, not brilliance on attempt one.
Work Ethic as Oxygen: If you’re looking for better work-life balance, stay employed. Entrepreneurship demands a work ethic that borders on obsessive. This isn’t sustainable for everyone, and that’s okay.
Never Give Up (But Know When to Pivot): There’s a fine line between persistence and stubbornness.
The situation will change eventually, but sometimes you need to change your approach to the situation.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Green Grass.
After 27 years, my grass has some green patches—moments of success, financial wins, personal satisfaction from building something lasting. But it’s not the uniform, lush green that entrepreneurship mythology promises.
And you know what? That’s perfectly fine.
The real victory isn’t achieving some fantasy of endless green grass. It’s building something meaningful while accepting that entrepreneurship is inherently messy, uncertain, and often unrewarding in traditional metrics.
For Aspiring Entrepreneurs.
Before you leap, ask yourself:
– Are you prepared for a decades-long journey with no guarantees?
– Can you find fulfilment in the process, not just the outcome?
– Do you have the financial runway and personal support for extended uncertainty?
– Is your “why” strong enough to sustain you through years of difficulty?
If your answers give you pause, consider staying employed while building something on the side. There’s no shame in choosing stability—and there’s wisdom in understanding your own tolerance for risk and uncertainty.
Final Thoughts
Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, despite what startup culture suggests. It’s not a fast track to wealth, freedom, or happiness. It’s a difficult path that demands everything you have and offers no guarantees in return.
But for those with the right combination of vision, persistence, and perhaps a touch of madness, it can be profoundly rewarding—just not in the ways you initially expect.
The grass may not be uniformly greener, but those patches of green you do cultivate? They’re genuinely yours. And after 27 years of tending to them, that means something.
Sometimes the most honest thing you can tell someone about entrepreneurship is this: if you can imagine being happy doing anything else, do that instead. But if you can’t shake the vision of building something meaningful, then welcome to the long, difficult, occasionally rewarding journey of entrepreneurship.
Capt. Shaji Kumar 