How an Entrepreneur’s Passion Can Destroy a Startup

The article How an Entrepreneur's Zeal Will Destroy a Startup, written by Noam Wasserman, addresses the negative consequences of getting so much passion on the success of a startup. While enthusiasm is essential for a startup's success, when entrepreneurs disregard logic, they can make decisions that contribute to the company's demise.
According to Wasserman, there are three critical stages in the formation of an ambitious business where too much zeal can be a detriment rather than a benefit. The first is after the startup's initial launch. In spite of their confidence, the entrepreneur should not let their feelings guide their judgment when it comes to the viability of their go to market strategy. They should conduct an extensive market research to determine the customer base for their product or service. The next phase is creation of the company’s business plan: too much enthusiasm at this stage could lead the businessman to spending too much capital in pursuit of outcomes that are not rationally possible. The entrepreneur could also be expecting positive returns too soon after they have launched their company and end up being frustrated.
The next prove that too much enthusiasm is a negative thing is the division of equity among partners. Naivety and too much passion much may lead the entrepreneur to split ownership equity without taking into consideration a situation where the amount of responsibility and commitment to the firm may change. The final stage begins after the startup has picked up: an over enthusiastic businessman may not acknowledge the limits of their management skills. After achieving a certain degree of growth, a professional should take the company to the next level.
In his article, there are three valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs. First, they should educate themselves on the potential challenges to the startup. Second, they should not sign agreements that are not flexible enough in case they need to adjust them in future. Finally, they should be ready to prioritize the growth of the company before their ego.
 
Work cited
Wasserman, Noam. How an Entrepreneur's Passion can Destroy a Startup. The Wall Street Journal 2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.