So my girlfriend tells me all the time that I need to see a shrink. You know, a head doctor. While I used to call her crazy (notice the irony) it finally sunk in that she’s right. But i don’t look at it for the same reason (mind you: I haven’t gone yet).
I would like to make a bold statement: All Entrepreneurs Should Seek Professional Help! …
The amount of times you should go every month should be X, where X is the amount of companies you have started (including failed ones)…okay okay maybe not THAT often…
But here’s why? Entrepreneurs are creative folk like your average comedian or artist. Comedians and artists admit they are screwed up generally. Entrepreneurs don’t. Here’s why - we don’t like to admit we have a problem or that anything is wrong. We feel that starting up companies is our calling and there is nothing wrong with fulfilling our calling. But there is - we are NOT normal people.
Here’s why? The average person can go to a job, work 9-5 and separate. We can’t ever separate, even if we are running a successful company - we don’t know how to leave enough alone.
Case in point: How many of you entrepreneurs out there like working nights? Send out 2AM emails or at least write them at 2AM and then save the draft to send in the morning so people don’t think you’re crazy (I gave up on this practice and just send it out when I think it up), how many of you can actually NOT work nights if you want to. If you are a serial entrepreneur I will bet you that you can’t.
How many of us ignore our friends and family for days, weeks, months at a time while we are incubating our ideas?
How many of us put off social arrangements to work? Take phone calls in the middle of parties and while having friends over take your laptop and start writing emails.
How many of us have ADHD and space out randomly for hours while thinking up a new idea?
How many of us come late to things because we just had a new great idea?
How many of us can’t stop to think before building?
How many of us are terrible at choosing business partners and HR because we can’t stop to analyze?
How many of us have been screwed in the search for our truth instead of waking up, smelled the coffee, relaxed and did it the right way?
How many of us run instead of walk, even without our morning coffee?
How many of us are agreeing with what I’m saying now but still insisting we are fine?
I am willing to go on the record and speculate that if you said yes to my questions above you are probably brilliant, have massive ADHD and are manic depressive. In fact I don’t think I know a single serial entrepreneur that isn’t manic depressive. We space out and sometimes go months without feeling like ourselves, especially after being screwed out of what was, should have been or still is a great business. During those months we usually try a million things and they all fail because in a way we are doing them out of revenge (against ourselves) and not thinking them through. They may be great ideas and be right on the money but we have a tendency to “reduce risk” by spreading ourselves too think after getting screwed. If you are a serial entrepreneur, you will lose your shirt at least once (sometimes your pants too) and you will get screwed. It’s in our nature. We move before we think as a result it happens we get screwed. A few of us are lucky to surround ourselves with good people but it’s usually that first person, that partner we should not have taken on that fucks us and there is nothing we can do.
How do we solve this - with my latest and greatest idea - one that I am not going to do but will happily help with if someone takes it up - StartUpShrink.com.
I want to see shrinks market themselves as startup advisers. You need business advisers and you need mental advisers if you want to succeed. Us entrepreneurs don’t listen to friends, family and loves ones because “they don’t know our business” - well maybe its time we get a 3rd party unbiase’d opinion from someone who knows our mind. After all, if we took rational approaches in the first place, we wouldn’t get ourselves into the half the problems us Serialists end up getting into. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you are probably lying or not a hyperactive serialist entrepreneur - or just dam fucking lucky.
Now there is a stigma about seeing shrinks, esp. for most entrepreneurs because “we know we’re brilliant” and think can self diagnose. We also happen to be a delusional lot - we don’t know crap about our brains (and i don’t even care if you are a serial scientist - you need help to - just ask your wife!!!…or should i say Ex Wife!!!!)
So where are you Mr or Mrs Shrink that will get a good domain, brand yourself and market yourself to people who need you. We need advisers, not shrinks even though its the same thing. It’s all about the marketing. I can guarantee that a smart shrink with some good marketing will get more clients then you can ever imagine.
And lastly for entrepreneurs out there before you say you’d rather put the $250/hour for a shrink into your business. Let me ask you this: is it worth $250/month to save you from that one hair brained idea or asshole partner that cost you $10,000,000. You know what I’m talking about and it’s fucking true. Spend a few bux a month on a mental adviser and live happier and with less divorces, breakups and pissed off friends - and deeper pockets of course.
