We had some friends over at the weekend. With temperatures and hours of sunshine rising, we see our social agenda improving as well. We usually do a Friday-night at our place whereby we invite some people from the neighborhood, get pizzas and booze and let the children trash around in the garden. Not exactly a wild night in the pub, but very enjoyable nevertheless.
Anyways, last friday we had a couple over who are both working in the advertising industry. they had seen my biobag on our kitchen counter (we use it day-to-day in our own house). and they were really enthused. Now I know that it is in advertising people's genes to get enthusiastic about things, but it seemed really genuine. In any case, there is nothing like a piece of positive feedback to lift your spirits. Because, that for an entrepreneur is the sweetest nectar of all. The inverse, negative feedback is utterly soul destroying. Even the smallest throwaway remark or mildly disinterested comment can shatter me for days. After all, this is my product, the result of my brain, hard work and dedication, my life and soul. It is extremely hard to separate criticism of the product/concept/business model from the criticism of your own person. It always surprises me that on programmes like Dragon's Den people do not burst into tears more when they have been savaged once again by the likes of Duncan Bannentine...Cause I would (or maybe I'd hold it back till I am out of the studio). I think that this is one of the difficult balancing exercises an entrepreneur has to engage in. On the one hand it requires copious amounts of passion, guts and belief to get a new concept up and running. An entrepreneurial business is not a matter of the brain, it is one of the heart and the guts. At the same time, it requires the cold and calculating eye to evaluate the options, assess the opportunity and the chances of success. Balancing the two and knowing when to heed outside advice (and when not) is probably the biggest trick of 'em all.