I was at the coffee house that I like to go to in the Heights eating lunch after meeting with a client, and we engaged in some interesting conversations about entrepreneurship. We talked about many topics, but the one topic that stuck out like a sore thumb to me (as we were venting) was…Why is it so hard for people to take entrepreneurs and specifically young entrepreneurs seriously? I’ve discussed this issue before, but it seems to still be a major problem in American society. Sure, you hear of stories on T.V. about the guys that started Google and various other 20 and 30 somethings starting “.coms” and becoming millionaires, but how many people believed them when it was just an idea? How many people supported them when they were in the trenches eating noodles, bread and water while chasing their dream? How many people jumped are their bandwagon of congratulations when their idea actually worked?

There are some things that are absolute:

1. Entrepreneurs are considered crazy, unstable, and inconsistent until people realize their idea actually is producing results

2. Many people are envious of entrepreneurs because they don’t have the guts to step out on their own

3. The only bad ideas are the ones people are too lazy to pursue or too fearful to believe

4. As an entrepreneur, you can not depend on others to be your motivation for your success…you and God have to be that motivation

5. Youth is an asset in business, not a liability

Many people are not designed to step out on their own, grab life by the horns and ride that puppy like a bull until either the bull submits or you fall off. Many individuals want to simply sit in the stands and watch. Sometimes the stands can render a person in the most unfavorable position however, because as they are watching the other person take on the challenges of life, they are just sitting there. Those individuals are not moving forward or accomplishing anything. Do you want to be a spectator or a participant? It is your choice, but one can not look at the person they are watching and deem them as insignificant or crazy. At least they got off their behind and went for it…and when a person is young, they can fall off that bull more times and get back up!

Entrepreneurs generally, and young entrepreneurs specifically provide the world with innovation, freshness and new ideas. Everything was built on an idea, every business was started with a idea, and every great innovation came because of someone’s idea. These individuals must be taken seriously, because every restaurant, hotel, grocery store, computer store, product and business started with someone like them! The place where the naysayers go to work even started with some “crazy” person with an idea.