In the story of Little Red Riding Hood, a cute beautiful girl, who wears a red hood, walks into the jungle to deliver food to her sick grandma.
To me, she represents the quintessential Start Up – a timid, innocent entrepreneur, struggling to make her business survive.
A big bad wolf wants to eat her up, but he can’t do so in public.
The wolf is the big bad world of naysayers, who just want to kill entrepreneurs and their ideas as they emerge, but can’t do so in public.
The wolf goes to Granny’s house, gobbles up Granny alive and then waits for the girl.
This is the rejection stage in a Start Up’s career. The supporters disappear. The hope that was, vanishes. The people who were helping out slowly walk away.
When the girl reaches Granny’s house, she is confused to see Granny look and behave strangely. Granny is actually the wolf in Granny’s clothes.
This is when entrepreneurs and Start Ups start seeing Red signals. People talk to them strangely. Wonder why they are still hanging around. They get compared to peers and other people and get overlooked.
The wolf also eats up the Girl.
Start Ups and entrepreneurs give up. They close down.
BUT… and there is ALWAYS a BUT – a Hunter comes and kills the wolf and in the bargain rescues Granny and Little Red Riding Hood.
Some Start Ups get funded. They break out. They survive. They get lucky. They meet an ANGEL.
End of story?
Not for me.
This is a T-Shirt that I saw at the FCUK showroom in Mumbai and something I bought myself on the 1st of Jan 2012 to CELEBRATE Entrepreneurship, Starting Up and SURVIVAL!!!
The way I see it:
The Entrepreneur is NOT SCARED.
She is PREPARED (see knife in her hand).
She knows how to Defend her business, her vision, her plan. SHE KNOWS HOW TO FIGHT.
When the Bad Market, Naysayers come to her and trouble her – SHE KILLS THEM.
She cuts them open, and drinks their blood – before they even lay a hand on her.
This is DEDICATED TO ALL MY ENTREPRENEUR friends, Start Ups and the Enterprising Community:
DO NOT LET the Big Bad Wolves bother you.
Do Your Karma.
THINK always of VICTORY. Never of Defeat.
Kill the demon.
WIN. WIN. WIN.
*******
UPDATE – 26th Feb – 2012.
It’s a happy co-incidence that The Economist featured this image on its cover for its weekly issue:
