What Makes The Startup World Go Round?

The last couple of years we have witnessed a boom in the startup world. Every European country with a stable economy (and not only!) is the perfect environment for opening these small companies, nourishing them, watching them grow and, in some fortunate cases, even thrive.

A day will not pass by without a new startup entering the market. How is it that possible? What motivates people to give life to their ideas? What triggers the entrepreneurial spirit and sets things into motion so fast?

You have probably read tons of articles on business and entrepreneurship, so far. Topics on how to start your own business, how can you know if you were born to be an entrepreneur, or maybe how to become a better one, are only the basics to get you started. You might also stumble upon nicely put-together articles that will talk to you about entrepreneurs’ motivation to start their business. These are all great sources to learn from, but there is something even better waiting for you!

What stays behind an entrepreneur’s decision to put their idea into practice? Leaving theory aside, let’s make room for some real entrepreneurs who are willing to share insights from their own experience. What motivated them to give their idea a meaning and start their own business?

#1 Offering Solutions To A Problem

Vera Reshetina, the CEO of the Saas startup WISP, makes no exception here. Asked what the motivation behind building WISP was, she answered:

Two years ago, we noticed that our employees didn’t use the standard Intranet solutions very much. For many of them it was troublesome to root through bookmarks in their browsers; that’s why they weren’t following the corporate news feed, and they were missing out on essential information. This is problematic on many levels; it inhibited the connection between employer and employees, and more importantly the connections between employees. That’s why we decided to develop our own corporate mobile app, because our smartphones are always with us; we use them constantly.

Eugenia Nemkova from Arkuda Digital, the startup whose main purpose is to offer technological solutions to problems the user has never even thought about, says that the development of their applications started from the same idea, placed in a different context – content sharing:

We wanted to find an elegant solution for smart devices implementing the concept of sharing content. It had to be easy, fast, convenient and beautiful. If you are looking for something and you aren’t happy with the existing tools, you need to create your own. So, we created our application, and that was the only way to pursue our dream.

#2 The Need To Make A Difference

I believe that what unites all the entrepreneurs in the world is this urge to stand out of the crowd and create an individual and powerful impact in the world. This is the very essence of entrepreneurship: changing people’s lives, creating something big, rather than being a part of something small. Paolo Monasterolo of Elbify shares this vision, as well:

We want to be part of the revolution that is changing the way we live, leaving our footsteps in tomorrow’s society. We want to see our products changing the way people move around cities: commuting to work can be fun and we want to be one of the reason of that fun. We want to see what we have imagined becoming reality: it’s not the fame nor the money the driver. It’s passion for doing something changing life in better, and bringing a smile to everyday life.

#3 Identifying An Opportunity Most People Wouldn’t

Alen Saqe, the founder of Dentem, a startup located in Albania, is just one of the entrepreneurs who managed to see an opportunity in a place where others couldn’t:

It all started from the close connection I always had with technology. At one point, I realized that we had the potential to build a product or a service that would overcome the limitation that the usual client and their vision had; it was something with a wider scope than just a product. Therefore I went on to pursue a dream that would not only be my dream but also the dream of all those involved. Because achieving great things is never done alone.

#4 Pursuing A Lifelong Dream

Sometimes, building a startup is all about chasing a dream. A dream that involves working with a great team and enjoying every minute of it! At least, this is what Helmut Juskewycz, the founder of LingoHub, seems to agree with:

Life is short, so pursue your own dreams. Live the life you want, not how others want you to be. You need to be happy with what you’re doing, that’s the most important thing. Why LingoHub is one of my goals: I always wanted to work with great people and create something big that brings real value. Our customers love LingoHub and I love my team.

#5 Sensing The Urge To Become A Leader

Julius Reynolds, CEO of Sendy, a delivery startup admitted that he decided to become an entrepreneur in the moment when he realized that no one in the world would follow someone else’s vision as enthusiastically as they would follow their own.

It is simply instinctive and natural. I decided to be honest with myself and with others, and this honesty is expressed in following my own dream.

#6 Being Unable To Work In A Traditional System

This is the direct effect of an entrepreneur’s natural constitution. He or she is the misfit, the one with an out-of-the-box thinking who cannot stand working for other people’s dreams. CashQuizz’s co-founder, Phillip Wolschner, shares this view:

All our founders have already started working for other companies at a young age, where they all discovered that working for the dreams of others is not the way they want to live. We are all entrepreneurial and creative people by heart and life is too short for working in a big office on your small table. Moreover, it is also this feeling of freedom to pursue your own goals that makes working on a startup that much more fun.

Whatever the motivation, its outcome is far more important. Are you already an entrepreneur? If your answer is no, I suggest you not to rush things and give this matter a bit more thought. If your answer is yes, feel free to share with us your experience! What made you get out of your comfort zone and become an inspiring entrepreneur?

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