As an Entrepreneur, “Greed is Good”, But Passion and Persistence are Better

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Talking about the late 90s Internet funding culture is probably a good segway into a discussion of why greed is most always trumped by passion and persistence.  Many lousy ideas have been funded, often not because smart people actually believed the companies would be successful, but rather because smart people believed they could “get out” before the majority of other people realized they were trying to ride a dog.  For those trying to build a real, sustainable business that makes sense over the long term, greed may play a part in your success (you wouldn’t take the big risk, if you didn’t desire or anticipate the big payoff), however much more important factors in your ultimate success or failure, will be passion and persistence.  If you have these two characteristics going for you, you may even be able to make a mediocre idea into a winner (but it’s still not advisable to try to ride a dog).  So the point of this one is, greed it OK, but don’t let greed blind you to the fact that success is not going to come easily – passion and persistence will almost always be required..

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Paul is a serial entrepreneur, strategic and risk management advisor, marketer, speaker and coach who has dedicated the majority of his career to entrepreneurship, leadership and peak performance. Paul has worked with various entrepreneurial companies in senior management roles and has led the development, review, and selective implementation of several hundred start-up and corporate venture business plans, financial models, and feasibility analyses. He has performed due diligence on and valuation of many potential investment and acquisition candidates. Paul was also the Director of a consulting operation in Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Paul has lived, worked, learned and traveled extensively in Latin America, Europe, and Asia and speaks and writes English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

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