It can be quite inspiring to read the success stories of first-generation entrepreneurs who’ve grown their company from scratch and made millions of dollars by selling it. These are the founders who provide hope for the next generation of entrepreneurs, and everyone wants to emulate their success stories. But we also need to remember that these stories generate other feelings as well.
For one, there is the feeling of jealousy amongst other founders who wonder why they’re having such a hard time raising money and why they can’t seem to get any traction.
Envy
Another feeling is that of envy. This can be especially acute amongst the colleagues and classmates of the founder who has hit the jackpot. They know that they have worked as hard as he did, and are brighter than him – and they are left to wonder why life is being so unkind to them and why they’ve been so unlucky.
Some classmates feel a twinge of regret, “Perhaps if I had taken the risk and ventured out on my own, I would have been in the same position, as compared to being stuck in my current dead-end job.”
When the entrepreneur strikes it rich overseas, the founders who chose to stay on in India may feel frustrated and angry that they are having such a hard time in running their company and raising money. When their friends who ventured overseas in search of green pastures cash out, they feel they’re being penalized for being patriotic and deciding not to immigrate.
It is hard to deal with these feelings. It’s not easy to see someone else’s success without feeling a twinge of ache and envy and heartburn – after all, we’re all human!
Hopefully, after going through all these, your final emotion will be one hope – after all, if he can do it, then so can I!
[This post by Dr. Aniruddha Malpani first appeared on LinkedIn and has been reproduced with permission.]
