Subprime Blogger

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Subprime Blogger – My Entrepreneurial Story

Posted on | July 7, 2009 | No Comments

For most of my adult life I have tried to find something I love to do that involved grinding numbers and working on my own schedule.  I can honestly remember trying to find ways to beat Vegas and the sports betting system.  I have thousands of stock charts saved on my computer hoping that I could crack a method on how to make money.  At one point I even tried to play spades online using an algorithim I created.  Finally after searching How to Make Money Online and digging through some websites, I found Steve Pavlina’s website.  This post 2005 Traffic & Adsense Revenue Growth became my inspiration.  If he could make a living posting articles online, I KNEW I could do it as well.  One day I hope to thank Steve personally so if any of you know him, please pass this along.

One charateristic I would definitely give myself is entrepreneurial.  I do have a masters degree, but this top 10 list of Entreprenuers versus MBA’s describes my Subprime Blogger adventure to a tee!

1. Born, not made. This old adage explains one of the most commonly-held differences between entrepreneurs and those with an MBA. While entrepreneurs typically have a drive and ambition that may also be present in those with an MBA, they usually are willing to take risks in order to succeed that stands them apart from others, and this risk-taking character trait is typically not something that can be taught.
2. Causal reasoning vs. effectual reasoning. According to Dr. Saras D. Sarasvathy, a leader in the researching and teaching entrepreneurship, the difference between entrepreneurs and MBAs lies within the way they reason. According to Dr. Sarasvathy, MBAs gather information about the environments and markets, then make decisions based on what they can control within a situation. On the other hand, entrepreneurs approach decisions with the idea that they can control the situation, and they invoke creative decisions and problem-solving techniques in order to maintain their control over a situation.
3. Knowing the nuts and bolts. MBAs may gain more knowledge to help them to grow or maintain a business’ success whereas an entrepreneur may excel in how to get the business off the ground, but might benefit from what is learned in school to know about finance, marketing, and strategy.
4. Non-conformist. According to research, entrepreneurs are non-conformists. Not only do they want to forge ahead when told they can’t do something, they even take a certain amount of pride in the fact that they do not meet up with set standards. While there are most certainly non-conformists among the MBA set, most people choosing to earn their MBA are embracing what is not only seen as a socially acceptable method of achieving success, but one held in high esteem.
5. Adaptability. While MBAs learn how to create and implement solid business plans, successful entrepreneurs usually rely on a large amount of adaptability to keep their ideas going in the right direction. Good entrepreneurs learn to recognize when their original ideas may need fine tuning or when they might need to take a completely different path to achieve their goals.
6. Willingness to fail. While no one wants to fail, entrepreneurs who experience failure (and that is usually quite a few), learn from their experiences and keep moving forward. MBAs can and do as well, but the basic structure of school is that you succeed. Failing several classes will certainly result in no longer being a part of the program when working for an MBA, but the same can’t be said of entrepreneurship.
7. Security. For many, the goal of getting an MBA is to secure a good job and achieve success in the business world. Achieving success in this manner is much safer than the goal of many entrepreneurs, which is to obtain the same success in business, but without safety net of security. Entrepreneurs may risk their time, energy, and savings to reach a goal that may or may not materialize. For most graduates with an MBA, especially if it is from a top-tier school, landing a good job after graduation is much less risky.
8. Belief in their dreams. Entrepreneurs are well known for following their dreams even, and maybe especially, in the face of adversity. While MBAs also have goals and aspirations, theirs are usually more down-to-earth, such as graduating and securing a good job or becoming CEO of a company. For entrepreneurs, they may be holding on to a dream that seems crazy to others yet they believe fervently has potential.
9. Learning to learn. The business school experience can teach you how to learn. More than just listening, preparing to learn by having a solid baseline of knowledge from which to start, that can come from business school, will eliminate any wasted time getting up to speed when learning from peers and mentors alike. Additionally, getting to know professors and learning about what impassions them can deepen the amount and quality of what is learned. Entrepreneurs can still gain the ability to learn how to learn, but it may not be synthesized into such a short amount of time.
10. Create the future. According to John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan in their book, The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets That Change the World, entrepreneurs create the future by developing and communicating a clear vision of the future as they see it based on, sometimes, years’ worth of thinking about that vision. While MBAs frequently have insight to what can make a business successful, the entrepreneur typically relies on a type of insight that isn’t taught in school and is created specifically from the vision within.

I seriously do not think one person I know had confidence that I could have success with Subprime Blogger.  Many people felt I could make a few extra dollars and I would get a few hundred hits a day, but nothing significant.  “There is NO WAY you can quit your job to write a silly little blog.”  I heard this on a consistent basis for at least six months.  All that did was give me the motivation to work harder.  I have several emails and conversations posted on my wall that help to remind me that “I can’t make Subprime Blogger a success.”  Well, we will just see about that.  Not only will I make it a success, I will make it a resounding success!

I hope that one day someone mentions this site as inspiration the way I mentioned Steve Pavlina.  My ultimate goal with this site is to help others find themselves financially.  I will be the first to admit that I am not always positive but I do tell you the truth.  If you have read this site for a significant period of time, you can back me up on that statement.  I hope to continue this by reaching as large of an audience as possible.  I would like to personally thank each and every one of you who read my blog and please pass it along.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do what I love.

Category: Passion for Life
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