Entrepreneur Experience ...

en·tre·pre·neur·i·al
adjective
1.
characterized by the taking of financial risks in the hope of profit; enterprising.
"an entrepreneurial culture"

Prelude:
I jumped ship from corporate America after I experienced how corruption can damage an organization, never realizing the waters I landed in were infested with sharks .... '94

Epilogue:
A rocky start is quite normal for entrepreneurial newbies, once I got my business sea legs, this is what I did:

1997 – Present Versaggi Information Systems, Inc., Chicago, IL.

  • President and CEO (IT Consulting Company) – Owns, manages and operates small IT consulting company focusing on web site hosting, web application development, internet security, IT outsourcing, and miscellaneous programming projects. Nationwide clients. Responsible for all phases of business operations, client technology projects, and IT infrastructure development. Projects deployed for clients in the following industries: telecommunications, financial, logistics and transportation, reprographics, human resources, misc industrial products, legal services, government compliance, and retail restaurants.

Strategic Skills Developed:
  1. Go ahead, grab the tigers tail, just know what to do next.
  2. Limits of mental, emotional, and physical energy.
  3. No Limits - to what one can do if they work hard enough for it.
  4. Growth has a momentum of it's own after critical mass is reached.
  5. Success is not just the stuff of passions, but of diligent, tedious, monotonous work.

1994 – 1997 Electronic Business Solutions, Oak Brook IL

  • Business Partner (Small ISP) - ISP started with private seed capital of ¼ Million, and 20 employees. Responsibilities included taking a key role in executive management, spearheading sales / new business development, implementing technology infrastructure and delivering client projects.

Strategic Skills Developed:
  • Responsibility for the bottom line, employees, and investors.
  • Handling big accounts, public speaking, and big risk politics.
  • Realizing independence, competence, and confidence.

Final Notes:

"Becoming an entrepreneur has been compared to becoming a stripper ... it changes you ... -anonymous"

They are right, entrepreneurialism is a process that fundamentally alters a persons character, and if you are successful, you will *not* be the same person you were when you started.

Here are a few things one learns:

  • The 'true' value of your time.
  • The beauty of multiple income streams, and rents.
  • The irrelevance of 'status' in the open market.
  • Humility, there are some really big sharks out there.
  • Management of: time, limits, and fear.
  • Boundaries: what they are and how to maintain them.
  • Rewards follow hard, monotonous work riddled with risks.
  • Danger is a reality, fear is a choice.
  • Never trade your self esteem for the approval of others.
  • Developmental detours really are a worth it.
  • Change yourself first, then teach others how, and why it's magic.
  • Why it's absolutely critical to develop and follow your passions.