Heresy in the Church of the Latent Entrepreneur

Back from the “From Big Ideas to Entrepreneurial Success” session at Interactive Minds with that usual sense of being the heretic in the chapel.  There’s something unsettling about a room filled with ‘entrepreneurs’ (past, present and future tense) who have all read the same books.

All reading and following the same formula in the Seth Godin Manual

All reading “The E-Myth” and following the same line of thought.

All following the same safe paths specified in the instruction manuals.

The unfortunately funny aspect of it all is that they’re all being told to be innovative. Think different! Be innovative! Find your own path!

Hugh Macleod called it the Church of Seth Godin.  If you actually read and understand what Godin’s work is about, you’ll stop reading Godin’s work as gospel and start making your own decisions based on the market, opportunity and skillsets that surround you. There is no dogma. There is no mantra. There’s not even Zul.

This morning, at a conference for “Big Idea to Large Debt and Medium Success” you could be forgiven for believing there was a solution to be found in the Book of Seth.

It would be great if there was, and life would be easier if there was an instruction manual, but if you want that sort of safety net structured thinking, why become an entrepreneur?

Disclaimer: I’m not an entrepreneur and I don’t play one on the internet. I like my 13 week x 2 structured workplace, and enjoy my KPI work life. I have a one-sided argument with Seth Godin every few years when I snap at something he’s said on his blog. I attended this morning’s conference to see what’s been said in the ‘real world’ and refrained from sighing loudly. I did that on Twitter instead.