The Reluctant Entrepreneur – Living Forward

Not everyone who has started an enterprise is burning with passion and stoked by a vision for the project they have brought to life. Often, an idea for an enterprise that satisfies a need and is fueled by a certain amount of effort and resources, just seems to take on a life of its own. It is not uncommon for an entrepreneur to awaken to their day wondering how they got to where they are and even wondering if they want to be where they are. Current pressures and results can have a significant impact on how much this is at the forefront of one’s thinking but for many it is at least in the background.

At the Agathe Center for Entrepreneurship, we have had clients who have had significant questions about what they find themselves giving their lives to. Their reasons for those questions range across a wide spectrum from the very practical to the philosophical, from the very material to the deeply spiritual. Given that we are about promoting community impact as much as market success, dealing with these questions is as high a priority for us as any of the technical business issues that are more often top of mind for our clients.  

So, we spend time unpacking stories, learning about backgrounds, turning points, motivations – about family, community, and spiritual influences.

Our approach is captured by a statement commonly attributed to the 19th century Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard: “Life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards.”  

It seems to us that an entrepreneur’s reluctance is best “understood backwards” and best responded to by “living forwards.”

Understanding the basis of our current reality helps greatly in taking steps forwards toward a future where reluctance gives way to fulfillment, where questions yield to a satisfaction that one’s activities have purpose and even constitute a calling.  

All impact-oriented entrepreneurs endeavor to make contributions to the communities they are a part of. Many, of even the most reluctant ones, do it extremely well. And in time as they understand life backwards, they take greater and greater joy and satisfaction in living life forwards. At the Agathe Center, we’re here to help them do that.  

Ralph

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