siliconindia | | June 20137niche and you gain the confidence in your segment, you then have to relentlessly focus on it without worrying about what others are saying.Making the BetEntrepreneurship is all about making an all in bet on yourself. It is key that an entrepreneur believes in his idea and what he is about to do because there will be very tough moments on the journey. You have to believe in your idea and push on especially when the going gets tough. An entrepreneur should engrave the words "Never Say Die" in their minds. Another key aspect of survival is finding a support group. The support group relieves you from your burden and can help you in key aspects of the process.The Unbeatable PlayerWhat happens when you overcome the obstacles and hurdles to achieve what you set out to do? Do you let your dreams die with you?Take an analogy of football; imagine, you are this great quarterback and you know all the players and you know all the plays so you are just unbeatable and then one day you say, I just do not feel like playing football anymore. What happens next? So every founder should think of himself and herself as an unbelievable quarterback and once that is cleared out, then it gets easier to start planning on how to resolve issues. It is important for a founder to realize that his dream, his idea and his company are bigger than him. Succession is important for the long term growth of the enterprise. Entrepreneurs must accept that their organization could and must outlive them. That would be true success and that would make the company an unbeatable player.An entrepreneur's life is not one for the faint hearted, there will be forks on the road and a wrong turn can mean the long walk back. There will be pot holes and broken roads that have to be trodden upon but at the end of the journey lay the prize of achieving what you had set out to do. The pleasure of being able to experience that is so fulfilling that the difficulties are forgotten in a moment. That is the life of an entrepreneur, a lifelong journey undertaken for the passion of achieving a glorious dream. It indeed is a fulfilling life. (The article is based on the keynote speech delivered at TiEcon, 2013 hosted at Santa Clara.)Bharat Desaisiliconindia | | June 20137
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