Global cleantech entrepreneur Bryan Guido Hassin delivered this keynote address at the Entrepreneurs' Organization Latin America Conference 2014-02-21. This builds on and expands his 2012 TED talk on entrepreneurship lessons from Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, this time with the contributions of hundreds of entrepreneurs in the audience. See http://youtu.be/iFopXTevQvs for the video.
1. EO LAC: The Entrepreneur’s Journey
How the magic of myth can help us launch ventures,
inspire others, and change the world
Bryan Guido Hassin
@guido23
2. The Entrepreneur’s Journey is straight and linear…
IPO, retire
Raise huge
VC $$$
Wunderkind
has divine
inspiration
• Preceded by
hockey stick
growth
• With detailed
business plan
• Or MBA has
genius insight
EOLAC
2
3. But the Entrepreneur’s real Journey isn’t nearly so
straight-forward!
EOLAC
Source: AVC.com
3
4. My journey has taken me around the world, seeing
entrepreneurship with a global perspective
Houston
Nairobi
Lausanne
Lausanne
Houston
Austin
Houston
EOLAC
4
7. Let’s give it a try: introduce yourself within your
group
EOLAC
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8. Entrepreneurship looks much more like the
archetypal Hero’s Journey
Call to
Adventure
Gift of the
Goddess
Masterful
Return
Refusal of the
Call
Wise Sage
Supernatural
Aid
Transformation
Death /
Rebirth
The Dark
Forest
Challenges,
Temptations
EOLAC
Source: The Hero with a Thousand Faces
8
9. The Hero’s Journey is fundamental to the human
experience
Call to
Adventure
Masterful
Return
Conscious
Subconscious
Wise Sage
Known
Rational
Unknown
Irrational
Death /
Rebirth
EOLAC
The Dark
Forest
Source: Fundamentals for a World Class Leadership Programme
9
10. The Entrepreneur’s Journey begins with a call to
adventure
Call to
Adventure
Masterful
Return
Death /
Rebirth
Common Entrepreneurial
Calls to Adventure
Wise Sage
The Dark
Forest
• Wanderlust
• “I want to be my own
boss”
• “I hate my boss”
• Desire for financial gain
• Opportunism
• Desire for impact
Successful entrepreneurs
start with their means,
not divine inspiration
EOLAC
10
11. Entrepreneurs seek supernatural aid and wise sages
to cross the threshold into the unknown
Call to
Adventure
Masterful
Return
Death /
Rebirth
Common Sources of
Entrepreneurial Aid
Wise Sage
The Dark
Forest
•
•
•
•
•
Mentors
Angel investors
Advisors
Partners
Clients
Successful entrepreneurs
augment their means to
take the plunge
EOLAC
11
12. Entrepreneurs must rapidly iterate through
challenges while constantly beset by temptations
Call to
Adventure
Masterful
Return
Death /
Rebirth
Wise Sage
The Dark
Forest
Common Entrepreneurial
Challenges
• Funding
• Market traction
• Attracting employees
• Self doubt
Common Entrepreneurial
Temptations
• Consulting for cash
• Too-good-to-be-true
partnerships
• Bad clients/investors
EOLAC
12
13. Entrepreneurs constantly transform their business
and themselves to make it out of The Dark Forest
Call to
Adventure
Masterful
Return
Death /
Rebirth
Common Entrepreneurial
Transformations
Wise Sage
The Dark
Forest
•
•
•
•
•
Business model pivot
Different target market
Product update
New distribution channel
Hiring / firing
Successful entrepreneurs
transform themselves,
not just their ventures
EOLAC
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14. Entrepreneurs return victorious with many
definitions of success
Call to
Adventure
Masterful
Return
Death /
Rebirth
Common Entrepreneurial
Successes
Wise Sage
The Dark
Forest
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sustains lifestyle
Creates jobs
Noteworthy achievement
Exit by acquisition
IPO
Changes the world
Successful entrepreneurs
know what success
means to them
EOLAC
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16. So what can the Hero’s Journey teach us about
entrepreneurship?
Call to
Adventure
Gift of the
Goddess
Masterful
Return
Refusal of the
Call
Wise Sage
Supernatural
Aid
Transformation
Death /
Rebirth
EOLAC
The Dark
Forest
Challenges,
Temptations
16
18. It takes a team to form a collective hero
Teammates provide complementary skillsets and
emotional support
EOLAC
Source: Hostage at the Table
18
19. Know thyself
Paul Atreides gaining self awareness by taking the Water of Life - Dune
True self knowledge can be painful to obtain but is
invaluable during the entrepreneurial journey
EOLAC
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20. Seek wise sages who have practical, relevant
experience
Yoda was (and always will be) a badass – Star Wars
Mentors who have been there, done that are worth
$186,000 to first-time entrepreneurs
EOLAC
Source: Effectual Entrepreneurship
20
21. Don’t choose the best path through the forest; create
your own path
Ender Wiggin changing the rules of the game – Ender’s Game
Successful entrepreneurs maximize upside by
controlling their environments
EOLAC
Source: Effectual Entrepreneurship
21
22. Don’t choose the best path through the forest; create
your own path
New
End
1
Means
2
Means
1
Means
3
Fixed
End
Starting
Means
New
End
2
New
End
3
Successful entrepreneurs start with their means and
imagine new possibilities
EOLAC
Source: Effectual Entrepreneurship
22
23. Don’t choose the best path through the forest; create
your own path
Gandalf’s new path over the forest – The Hobbit
Successful entrepreneurs use partnerships and
embrace surprises to expand their means, creating
new options
EOLAC
Source: Effectual Entrepreneurship
23
24. Work on significant, meaningful problems
It takes a villain as evil as Voldemort to induce heroic
acts as great as those performed by Harry Potter
EOLAC
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25. Breakout: What can you learn about
entrepreneurship from heroic myths?
EOLAC
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26. The Entrepreneur’s Journey is psychological
Call to
Adventure
Masterful
Return
Conscious
Subconscious
Wise Sage
Known
Rational
Unknown
Irrational
Death /
Rebirth
EOLAC
The Dark
Forest
Source: Fundamentals for a World Class Leadership Programme
26
27. Breakout: What are your greatest entrepreneurial
fears?
EOLAC
Source: Jimpaw
27
28. Humans gain confidence to take risks by leaning on
their secure bases
Human Behavior: fear of
loss > desire for gain
Secure bases will love
you even if you fail
Secure bases give you
confidence to take risks
Identify and lean on your
secure bases
EOLAC
Source: Hostage at the Table
28
30. Faith and persistence are the entrepreneur’s greatest
assets
Neo feeling what is possible once he finally believes – The Matrix
The darkest hour is just before dawn; you’ve got to
believe
EOLAC
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31. Case in point: Jan Koum is now a billionaire but five
years ago he was on food stamps
EOLAC
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32. Breakout: When has faith helped you persist through
dark entrepreneurial times?
EOLAC
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33. Is this the Entrepreneur’s Journey for you? What
happens when you reach the top?
EOLAC
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35. We are the explorers
“We are the explorers. There is a drive inside each
and every one of us: a drive to wonder, to push the
boundaries, and to explore. Throughout our history we
have taken both small steps and giant leaps in that
pursuit. We don’t know what new discoveries lie
ahead, but this is the very reason we must go.”
-NASA
EOLAC
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36. We are the explorers entrepreneurs
So happy venturing!
EOLAC
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