Inspiration and enterpreneurship

Very often people ask me how come I have great energy and untired enthousiasm for Mobissimo, just as if I started it yesterday,  while so many enterpreneurs get burned out after a year or two of challenging work.

I was thinking of it lately, what really makes it for me.
The answer is very simple- I am inspired and amazed and sometimes even revolted by human creativity and intelligence under different forms and shapes.

I am inspired by conversations with friends and thoughts of random people, touched by art, design, music, great meal that someone is going to cook, good wine etc.
What really gets my attention is how people drive different elements together to put them in perfect harmony and balance.

I visit the interior design sites or apartments of my friends and I think how amazing is the effect of putting together tiny bits and pieces together into a visual, sensual and functional composition. I think of energy, patience, passion and dedication it takes to take things from idea to a completion. I react to results of completion of creative process.

For me creating Mobissimo is like working with a sculpture - at the beginning there is no much more than an image of an idea which slowly starts to come into life as we are developping tiny bits of product and features into a longer term vision.

It is fun and energizing when others start to picture and enjoy the first results of my own creative process. It is incredible driver for me to know that what I do can in some ways impact, change or inspire at least one person life-  just as other people's passions and work impacts me.

As of course I am not the only enterpreneur with bunch of ongoing energy - I am wondering what drives you guys? Look forward to reading your stories in the comments :)

Comments

[Hari Nair]

Hi Beatrice - I am in a similar business as you, having founded India's first travel community & information site - HolidayIQ. This post about energy & enthusiasm resonated with me; I keep getting asked the same thing. I am not sure I know the answer too well, but I did ruminate about this in my blog. Incidentally the comment likening your project to a sculpture is so appropriate. I keep thinking that the expereince of entrepreneurship is somewhere between that of a movie director and a painter (or sculptor).

Here is the link to a post on this subject on my blog:

http://harinair.wordpress.com/2007/08/04/hooptedoodle-1-tilting-at-windmills/

cheers
hari

[Greg]

Wonderful post Beatrice and as hari points out in his comment, the analogy to art is quite apropos. I am a technology entrepreneur as well (my current venture is called PlaceVine - http://www.placevine.com) and as a former performing musician I constantly enjoy comparing a well functioning startup to a well balanced improvisational jazz ensemble where each member feeds off each other's passions and strengths. I wrote last year similar thoughts that you might appreciate in a post called "The Urge to Create":

http://perpetualmotion.wordpress.com/2006/11/10/the-urge-to-create/

Great artists, writers, and musicians not only make people listen, but they compel others to play, write, or paint - similarly great entrepreneurs should have a contagious effect on the desire of those around them to participate in the joy of creating brand new ventures!

Keep up the great writing,
Greg