50 Shades Of Entrepreneurship

Fifty Shades of Grey (10)

Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2011 bestselling, erotic romance novel by author E. L. James. It is the first instalment in a trilogy that traces the evolving relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a successful and wealthy young entrepreneur, Christian Grey.

The Color Grey

Grey or gray is an intermediate color between black and white.

“The colour grey is an unemotional colour. It is detached, neutral, impartial and indecisive. From a colour psychology perspective, grey is the colour of compromise – being neither black nor white, it is the transition between two non-colours. The closer grey gets to black, the more dramatic and mysterious it becomes. The closer it gets to silver or white, the more illuminating and lively it becomes.”

Shades of Grey (5)

‘Shades of grey’ refers to things not being clear in a situation or in terms of what is right and wrong. (5)

“Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James is an interesting title. The author told that she chose the surname of Grey because nothing is black or white; it depends on your point of view. Thus, she is not is not judging Christian Grey’s behaviour but telling a life full of ‘shades. In fact, the shadows are the different facets of the life of Grey.” (21)

Frequently, nothing is black or white on the entrepreneurial journey. It is a continuum of various types of grey. The entrepreneurs also differ, much like the personality of Christian Grey. The billionaire businessman was as much an entrepreneur as he was into kinky activities and in particular BDSM (bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism).

But entrepreneurs are not a homogeneous group, come in all forms and sizes, and each with his or her own characteristics. And maybe there are things one should look out for, pitfalls to avoid, or instances to provide for if considering taking an entrepreneur on board, working with or for one, or encouraging or participating in new ventures. (14)

While Mr Grey is not necessarily the entrepreneurial archetype, can we “glean some lessons for founders from this twisted antagonist and entrepreneur”? (2)

Fifty Shades Darker (11)

So ‘what are entrepreneurs like’ and ‘what distinguishes them from other business people’? (14)

The literature around entrepreneurs is generally positive and supportive with the implication that uniform benefits accrue to the economy, to businesses, and to individuals as a result of entrepreneurship. (16) Successful entrepreneurs achieve mythical hero status in our culture as people like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Richard Branson are idolized. (4)

Along with their mystique, entrepreneurs can have personality quirks.(14) In fact the personality traits of entrepreneurs have been assessed by many researchers who cite attributes such as a ‘need for power’, and the ‘pursuit of freedom of expression and of spirit’. (14) But this is only part of the story(16) as “many entrepreneurs harbor secret demons” and “business owners are vulnerable to the dark side of obsession”. (4)

“Do entrepreneurs have more personal problems than other people”? (14)

Are entrepreneurs then, in the words of EL. James generally “Fifty Shades of F***** Up”? (10)

“What is the dark side of entrepreneurship”? (14)

Entrepreneurs and Discipline

Entrepreneurship entails the ability to create and build from a vision, from practically nothing. (20). Entrepreneurial bondage, so to speak, is about staying true to this vision, being bound to your mission and having the unrelenting ‘discipline to get things done’ (3) no matter what the circumstances. The trick is to avoid being a slave to the idea to such an extent that rational decision making becomes difficult.

“Entrepreneurs seem to be achievement oriented, like to take responsibility for decisions, and dislike repetitive routine work…Creative entrepreneurs possess high levels of energy and great degrees of perseverance and imagination, which, combined with willingness to take moderate, calculated risks, enable them to transform what often began as a very simple, ill-defined idea into something concrete.” (14)

Through their seeming seductiveness, gamesmanship or charisma, entrepreneurs lead their organization and give it the requisite momentum. (14)

Interestingly entrepreneurs are the first to break the boundaries and rules. Steve Jobs, the iconic Apple founder became successful through “playing by his own set of rules” (9). And apparently he was quite the all dominant taskmaster.

Entrepreneurship is about Dominance

Entrepreneurship normally aims at leadership and dominance in existing and new niches or large markets or industries.

“The reality distortion field was a confounding melange of a charismatic rhetorical style, an indomitable will, and an eagerness to bend any fact to fit the purpose at hand”. (13)

Steve Jobs was said to have a ‘reality distortion field’ in which reality was malleable, and he could convince anyone of practically anything, and thus getting people to produce results that they themselves had believed impossible. (9)

Given the beauty and efficacy of Apple products that Steve helped bring to the world, may be the “ends justify the means” as Niccolo Machiavelli is often reported to have said.

“Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage.” (17)

In the words of Joseph Schumpeter:

“The entrepreneurial performance involves, on the one hand, the ability to perceive new opportunities that cannot be proved at the moment at which action has to be taken, and on the other hand, willpower to breakdown the resistance that the social environment offers to change. It is in most cases only one man or a few men, who see the new possibility and are able to cope with the resistances and difficulties which action always meets with outside of the ruts of established practice” (19)

It appears that the ‘ends’ of market domination, require that entrepreneurs use their ‘means’ to both subjugate and overcome the resistance that comes with all new innovations!

Are Entrepreneurs Sadomasochists?

Unlike Laura Baverman (2), I think that S&M is one of the start-up lessons from 50 Shades!

Wikipedia defines sadism is the derivation of pleasure as a result of inflicting pain, cruelty, degradation, humiliation, or watching such behaviours inflicted on others. In the world of entrepreneurship there is no shortage of sadists – the naysayers, dream killers, bureaucrats, recalcitrant investors, ‘dog eat dog’ competitors, powerful buyers and suppliers, all.

And some entrepreneurs themselves are sadists of the highest order. Just ask some of their employees or other stakeholders. For instance, was the infamous Marquis de Sade, an 18th century French writer from whom the term ‘sadism’ was coined, an entrepreneur? (8)

Masochism is an eponym, that is, a word named for a person. Leopold von Sacher-Masoch was an Austrian writer in the nineteenth century who described the gratification he got from his own pain and humiliation. There are many self-proclaimed masochists out there today. However being an entrepreneur must surely count as one example!

An “entrepreneur has to have a little of masochist in him”, writes Venkat in his blog.

“Media only glorifies the positive aspects of the role. The sweat and tears are never good copy. 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration truly applies. And this 99% has to be self-inflicted”.

Kind of like Silas, the self-flagellating monk of Davinci Code fame.

David B. Morris wrote in 2005 that:

“No pain, no gain’… (is) the story of a protagonist who understands that the road to achievement runs only through hardship.” (18)

The difference between success and failure of the enterprise depends upon its execution. And there can be no execution without pain. (20) As an entrepreneur, you either give, or you take pain.

Also as Arteage & Hyland (2014) point out, the uncertainty that comes with entrepreneurship requires a thick skin and an ability to ride the wave of chaos, complexity and fast paced change.

“Corporate entrepreneurship is the convergence of passion, commitment and masochism with chaos, change and uncertainty to inspire the dreams and create the wealth of future generations.” (1)

Fifty Shades Freed (12)

Freedom is a key part of successful entrepreneurial endeavour. Some start their business after leaving the perceived security and stifle of corporate employment to ‘be their own boss’. But the task of freeing oneself to pursue entrepreneurial dreams can result in one being bound to the ups and downs of self-employment, or dealing with the consequences of indiscipline.

The entrepreneur may not have the power to impose their free will on markets and may have to submit to the harsh realities of competition and regulation. The pain that can be imposed on incumbents via an entrepreneur’s disruptive innovations can return to haunt entrepreneurs if these are not ultimately successful for example. So entrepreneurial freedom may be relative, and it certainly is not guaranteed!

In his 2009 article “How Bliss is Ignorance? The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship”, Guru Gilbert maintains that entrepreneurship could bind one to insanity if not emotionally mature. He adds that one has to be nuts to start a company in the first place!

‘Bringing Sexy Back’ To Entrepreneurship!

But enough of the public flogging of entrepreneurs let us free them now.

Sexy Back is the title of a song by Justin Timberlake from some years ago. In the bridge, he hints at BDSM, he being the masochist. I suppose being a Mr Grey lookalike is not where it ends.

But in his lyrics, he is also supposedly implying that “sexiness” was missing from the world and he was going to bring it back. ‘Bringing sexy back’ means making something cool, fashionable or trendy again.

Similarly maybe this applies to entrepreneurship as well?

Once looked down upon as the trade for the unemployed, entrepreneurship is experiencing a resurgence of interest as countries seek the elixir of economic growth and job creation. Entrepreneurship and innovation are in short supply and it needs to be brought back, sexy, warts and all!

50 Shades of Entrepreneurship

Ultimately, the “pursuit of happiness” (6) amidst the darkness of the entrepreneurial realm is a very much grey area. Often it gets darker before the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel of opportunity and finally freedom is reached. And the light at the end of the tunnel can be an oncoming train of business model destruction. There is much suffering on the way, much pain, humiliation, anonymity and failure. But much like the deviant activities of Mr Grey this is all mixed with enjoyment, glorification, recognition and success.

‘Mr Market’ was introduced to the world by the famous stock market investor Benjamin Graham (the mentor of Warren Buffet) in his seminal book, The Intelligent Investor (7). He is a hypothetical investor who is driven by panic, euphoria and apathy, and approaches his investing as a reaction to his mood rather than through detailed and objective analysis.

Much like Mr Market, Mr Entrepreneur has many moods. While a lot of literature extols the rewards, successes and achievements of entrepreneurs, a dark side of entrepreneurship also exists and its destructive source can be found within the energetic drive of some successful entrepreneurs. (15)

“Entrepreneurship is a tremendous power for good”, but, “does have a dark side, and it is powerful indeed”. (16) It is perhaps the “downside of being up”! (4)

Would you like to see Mr. Entrepreneur now?

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References

1. Arteage, R & Hyland, J. 2014. Pivot: How Top Entrepreneurs Adapt and Change Course to Find Ultimate Success. John Wiley & Sons
2. Baverman, L. 2013. 8 Start-up Lessons from ‘Fifty Shades’ Christian Grey and S&M Isn’t One of Them.
3. Bossidy, L & Charan, R. 2008. Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.Random House.
4. Bruder, J. 2013. The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship. Inc.com.
5. Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary & Thesaurus. Cambridge University Press.
6. Gardner, C. 2006. The Pursuit of Happiness. Amistad.
7. Graham, B.1949. The Intelligent Investor. Harper & Row.
8. Hjorth, D & Steyaert, C. 2010. The Politics and Aesthetics of Entrepreneurship. Edward Edgar Publishing.
9. Isaacs, W. 2011. Steve Jobs. Little Brown.
10. James, EL. 2011. Fifty Shades of Grey. Vintage.
11. James, EL. 2012. Fifty Shades Darker. Vintage.
12. James, EL. 2012. Fifty Shades Freed. Vintage.
13. Kaipa, P. 2012. Steve Jobs and the Art of Mental Model Innovation. Ivey Business Journal.
14. Kets De Vries, MFR. 1985. The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship. Harvard Business Review.
15. Kuratko, D. 2013. Entrepreneurship: Theory, Process and Practice. Ninth Edition. South Western.
16. Lockwood, FS, Teasky, R, Carland, KC & Carland, JW. 2001. An Examination of the Power of the Dark Side of Entrepreneurship.
17. Machiavelli, N. 1961. The Prince. Penguin.
18. Morris, DB .2005. Belief and Narrative. The Scientist 19:1. March.
19. Schumpeter, JA. 1947. The Creative Response in Economic History. Journal of Economic History.
20. Timmons, JA. 1994. New Venture Creation. 4 Edition. Homewood Irvin.
21. Zara, I. 2014. Fifty Shades of Grey: The meaning of the title: Why 50 shadows? Yareah Magazine.