Race to the Bottom: An #entrepreneurfail comic

By Kriti B Vichare on May 10, 2013 18 Comments / 4086 views

Right up there on the list, along with “I want to be rich”, is “I want to be my own boss”. This is the list the wantrepreneurs make when thinking about launching their own business. Dreamy-eyed and clueless, they are convinced they can leave the corporate rat race, the tyranny of a boss and an elusive promotion for the career-equivalent of paradise. Unfortunately this is a far cry from reality, and what we can an #entrepreneurfail.

We all know that climbing the good ol’ corporate ladder is a tried, true, relatively predictable, yet slow, way to reach the top. Heeding the speed limit and traversing the dotted lines can get frustrating, as there is no magical formula for upward progression. And cracking office politics and the favoritism code can be a mystery.

This is a reason you may have pursued your own venture: so you could declare yourself the boss. Sure, the org chart will be leaner than in a corporation, but you are never actually your own boss. You are reporting to your customers, vendors, suppliers, and investors. They drive and dictate your promotions, pay raises, perks, annual leave, and responsibility. Welcome to your organization. It’s the flip version of the corporate org chart. You are barely hanging on as it grows larger above you. Be ready to adapt and draw the org chart as you go and the transition will be much smoother, as I realized much later into the game.

How can you ease this transition even further? Some simple steps you can take include:
1. Limit the number of investors you get early on and bootstrap your venture.
2. Decrease the dependence on one large customer
3. Create a back-up plan when it comes to vendors.

These little steps will ensure that, while you may never “be your own boss”, you have moved forward in your career as you create a sustainable, successful business.

Check out #entrepreneurfail: A Comic about the Ironies and Foolish things Entrepreneurs Do for more “wantrepreneur” funnies!

Comments

Kriti B Vichare

18 Comments

Puneet Sharma May 10, 2013, 7:08 am

Awesome initiative. Being A comic lover and a bathroom cartoonist, I always wanted something similar.
Here is a post on our own start-up – https://www.therodinhoods.com/forum/topics/things-at-our-start-up
Kriti B Vichare May 10, 2013, 7:15 am

Thanks so much Puneet! Did you do the sketches on https://www.therodinhoods.com/forum/topics/things-at-our-start-up
Puneet Sharma May 10, 2013, 8:51 am

Yup I did it. My Finger and iPad.
Kriti B Vichare May 10, 2013, 9:09 am

Cool I used my iPad, a stylus, and the Brushes app!
Rajat May 10, 2013, 9:19 am

Awesome 🙂

Loved Who’s coming with you?
Sam May 10, 2013, 10:28 am

That’s so true and advise is too useful….
Ashwin C Parulkar May 10, 2013, 10:35 am

Kirti..your humor reminds me of MOrparia of mid day… High on content..though bit low on illustration skills….if you study the styles some thing like HArward business review cartoonists ..your work will look cool…do you live in NY? I have lived there too ..and have specially place for the big apple
Kriti B Vichare May 10, 2013, 11:43 am

Ha! I’m no artist Ashwin, just a doodler…I made/saw so many mistakes as I created my company that I had to capture them in some rough sketches:) great thought to check out the styles of HBR…

I’m between NY and Singapore and India! Where are you?
Kriti B Vichare May 10, 2013, 11:44 am

Thanks Sam! Many more where that came from! Stay tuned…
Kriti B Vichare May 10, 2013, 11:46 am

Thanks Rajat! I provide some additional content for subscribers that you may enjoy!
Rajat May 10, 2013, 12:34 pm

Subscribed!
Ashwin C Parulkar May 10, 2013, 1:06 pm

Kirti what kind of company ? I am in India now.
Kriti B Vichare May 10, 2013, 1:22 pm

Cool! More stuff on the way:)
Kriti B Vichare May 10, 2013, 1:24 pm

We facilitate innovation/ideation/brainstorming events for organizations (http://www.ideakube.com).
Ashwin C Parulkar May 10, 2013, 3:12 pm

Hey kirti..awesome business you have created…
Kriti B Vichare May 11, 2013, 9:14 am

What are you working on?
Neerja Singh May 12, 2013, 8:13 am

Love the humour with which you have expressed a painful truth, Kriti! I was smiling all through because my husband gave up a cushy GM position to start his own business about three years ago – and has cursed himself everyday because his expectations had not taken into account the entrepreneur-at-the-bottom, pandering to various forces scenario you have so beautifully expressed!

PS: Subscribed to you. Had to get more where this comes from!
🙂
Kriti B Vichare May 12, 2013, 9:59 am

Thanks so much Neerja! Enjoy! I’m sure, since you have witnessed this firsthand, you will love the new comics coming up!