I first heard entrepreneurship referred to as a Bungee jump when Misha Nossik (a great and very successful entrepreneur) spoke at the Lebarge Weinstein Start-up Drop-in. Misha was one of the featured entrepreneurs at the event.
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The Bungee metaphor was based around his experience at a Bungee jumping site at a quarry in Gatineau Quebec. The decision point starts with a walk out to the jump platform on a catwalk 200 feet above the water in the quarry below. This would be the equivalent of that personal exploration into do I want to be an entrepreneur. After a bit of a walk high above the quarry you find yourself on the launch pad.
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Once you are on the launch pad looking down 200 feet to the quarry below that crucial decision is do I leap or go back. Entrepreneurship starts with that leap of faith. Interestingly enough my personal adventure in entrepreneurship officially began on 29-February-2008 that is the day the lease was signed for TheCodeFactory … kinda cool when you consider February 29th is leap day.
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Immediately following the leap there is an exhilarating ride down, I liken this fun part of starting up to the honeymoon phase of starting up your business. You progress downward until you reach the end of your bungee cord. Alison (Wife of Nikhil Adnani, thnkRF founder) said yes and then once you get to the end of your rope you bounce up and down a lot. Bouncing up and down is a common theme among entrepreneurial metaphors.
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So there you have it, the bungee metaphor for entrepreneurship. A bit of exploration, a leap of faith followed by an exhilarating ride and then a whole lot of up and down as the real work begins.
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Next post – The Ugly.
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Ian Graham

Filed under: Entrepreneurship, Featured by Ian
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