Questionable reasons to become an entrepreneur #2 – You want to get out of the box
By Rajesh Setty on Thu 20 Dec 2007, 6:20 PM – 8 Comments
Note: Previous post in the series – #1 – My friend did it, so can I
Large organizations can put people in boxes. You may be in one of them right now. Sometimes you may get a feeling that you are overworked and under-utilized. Being ambitious, you may feel a bit suffocated in that box sometimes and literally want to get out of that box.
You are smart and you know that there are MANY ways to get out of that box. For one, you can think about ways of “adding more value” to your current organization and execute on it. This may simply mean using a lot more creativity than what you have been using or walking the extra mile a few more times than your peers. You may say that the extra effort to get out of the box within the current organization may be too much of a price to pay. You may also conclude that if you join another big organization, you may just end up in another box of different size.
The solution, you say, is to just go and start on your own. That way you are “out of the box”.
Problem solved? May be.
It’s may be because when you start on your own, you get an initial euphoria of not having to answer to anyone and hence you are “outside of any box”. It may seem like it’s the best thing to happen. Of course, this is short-lived as you will soon realize the truth – while you may be the Boss, you are more accountable than ever before. You are “answerable” to
* shareholders
* employees
* customers
and in some way, to your
* partners
* vendors
* media
and so on.
In summary, you are not “out of the box” – you are just in a “bigger box” than before.
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Life Beyond Code » Questionable reasons to become an entrepreneur #1 – My friend did it, so can I on December 21st, 2007
[…] VC dilemma: How many “No”s before a “Yes”? | Questionable reasons to become an entrepreneur #2 – You want to get out of the box […]
Life Beyond Code » Questionable reasons to become an entrepreneur #3 – I can make a ton of money on December 21st, 2007
[…] « Questionable reasons to become an entrepreneur #2 – You want to get out of the box […]
Prasanna on December 22nd, 2007
Buddy, the simple diagram explained it all. Great way to summarize. Neat.
Mohan on December 24th, 2007
Great series Rajesh! I love the way you describe moving to a “bigger box” than before. 
Steve on December 27th, 2007
Most of the entraprenuers I have come across have commented that they do not seek new boxes or think outside the proverbial box. They refuse to believe in any kind of box to begin with, which liberates them to think and act in ways never thought possible. Most are too stuck in a box to even consider the concept of no box. Perhaps you can challenge your readers with that notion. Enjoy.
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Michael Vanderdonk on December 20th, 2007
This is true. And as anyone that’s worked in a big enough company that produces a diagram like that, you’ll know the box you live in doesn’t always relate to the box on paper.
Even ‘thinking outside the box’ is thinking in relation to the box. And regardless of what box you think you’re in, other people might have you in another box!
So knowing which box you place yourself in, and which box other people place you in is useful, but only as an initial orientation. Once you start working with others, it doesn’t matter which box you are ‘in’.
Enjoy,