It rained quite a bit here the past few days and I’ve learned that cockroaches are not a fan of the rain, because tonight alone I’ve killed three of them and the roach traps are full. Perhaps I should invest in an iguana? Although they’re not attractive and they’re a bit creepy, watching these guys scuttle around reminded me a bit of the traits of entrepreneurs. Odd, I realize, so in my inspiration brought on by cockroaches I’d like to tell you three reasons why cockroaches would make excellent entrepreneurs.
They’re Quick – Have you seen a cockroach scurry when you turn the lights on? Any entrepreneur has to be quick on their toes to secure a new client, find a competitive niche, or develop new business relationships. They have to work twice as hard starting from scratch, so speed helps! Opportunities are harder to secure when starting from nothing so quickly seizing them is to the advantage of survival for the entrepreneur.
They Don’t Die Easily – I can kick em across the room, smoosh em, and try to poison them, and they still won’t die. They take a lickin and keep on tickin! Successful entrepreneurs are much the same. Although I’m sure most people aren’t trying to kill them, most people are trying to kill their dreams and hopes for success, however, they get right back up and scurry towards those dreams without a second thought. This is probably one of the most annoying things about cockroaches, but why they’re so successful.
They’re Adaptable – Roaches eat anything… freshly minted entreprenuers are much the same… Alan Corey ate ramen for three months straight starting out! Now I don’t necessarily mean that entrepreneurs should nly be adaptable with their diet, but they should be willing to do anything it takes to be successful (within the law and moral codes of course 😉 ). They’ll hang out under the fridge for days on end, eat poo, and nearly get killed by humans simply so they can survive, what do you do so your business can survive?
Although I’m not so sure a cockroach has a vision or a business plan they do hold some valuable traits, which make them successful in the business of scavenging and annoying the heck out of me! Persistence, being adaptable, and being quick all allow both the cockroach and the entrepreneur the ability to survive and dare I say thrive in their current markets. They may not be lovable, but they don’t have to be lovable to be successful… neither does an entrepreneur.
Do you have to deal with cockroaches?
Do you know of any entrepreneurs who are as persistent as these little buggers?
Great post, very funny relation. 🙂 Certainly agree about quickness. You really have to take quick action to grow quickly. For example, the rumor of the way Apple got started: A friend of Steve Job’s showed him the computer that Palo Lowto Research Group was coming out with later in the week. Supposedly, Steve hired an engineer and worked all day and night all week and beat them to the punch. This is just a rumor, however, and may or may not be true, but either way, the point is the same. Definitely being resilient and adaptable are important traits… Read more »
Nice post. Especially I like the second trait. It is, perhaps, the most important. PERSISTENCE is one of the main trait of a successful person. With the help of this trait we can overcome all difficulties and achieve our goal.
P.S. Fortunately, I do not have to deal with cockroaches! 🙂
.-= Roman Soluk´s last blog ..The main benefits of walking outdoors =-.
I see the correlation. It reminds me of watching “The Apprentice” with Donald Trump. Every week we are entertained by watching entrepreneurs try to win the challenge and ultimately win the game. What I find most interesting, and also commented on by Donald, is how the women & men play differently in the corporate world. It also shows how people who play nice and honest rarely win. They get fired because they are too nice to defend themselves. It usually seems the snake in the grass or cockroaches are most successful. Not only are they resilient, but they’re not afraid… Read more »
Yuck!!! The picture freaked me out. lol
with that being said, I love the connection though. It’s sad when a roach is more persistent than I am.
.-= LenciB: Falling Into favor´s last blog ..Mighty to Save =-.
I’ll likely have to deal with some cockroaches this week since I’m back in Hawaii visiting the family. Having grown up dealing with the cockroaches that inspired the post, this is a very good comparison.
.-= Kitchen Penguin´s last blog ..Until We Cook Again =-.
hey Ryan,
i think you spent a great time with roaches, they’ve never been my friends. Yet i make friends with entrepreneurs.
roaches are quicker than expected even though they bearly see. i think we ought to be be like them too. Quick at taking actions without fear of failure – we just need to have a clear picture of where we are heading to.
I appreciate your inspiration, i never thought something good could come from roaches.
.-= harvestwages´s last blog ..Diet and exercise For Self Empowerment =-.
I really stand strong by the resilience part. Which is something I’ve picked up. If there’s something I’ve learned about myself though, is that everyone around me, is so… Brainwashed with the employee mindset, that we pretty much terrify others with our desire not to succumb to such a mind numbing routine. No matter their intention, it’s almost habitual instinct for them to doubt and jeer dreamers who seek out this sort of thing. It’s scary, really…! As for the quick notion, I can definitely vouch for that. Being self employed even, you have to pay attention to your surroundings.… Read more »
This is an interesting analogy. I like the second reasoning about not dying easily. In order to succeed you have to withstand obstacles and not let certain things get in your way. Also an entrepreneur has to adapt to many things as well.
“Do you have to deal with cockroaches?”
No I have too many skeeters, moths and box elder bugs.
Box elder bugs lay around in the sunshine and many die when it gets cold.
.-= Daddy Paul´s last blog ..The low risk portfolio =-.
I think you are as fast as cockroach (please don’t mind). You see it and strike with some idea. But yes, I too agree with majority of the comparisons you made. Newly established entrepreneurs have to be on their toes to survive any hits from its competitors. Their decision making power must be perfect and wise at the same time.
Personal finance
I like how you related the two entities. We can learn from those little critters can’t we… LOL.
You are right, successful entrepreneurs are very adaptable and have the great ability to take a lick and keep on tickin.
Thanks for sharing!!
.-= Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey´s last blog ..Are You In Indifference Mode? =-.
kinda grossed out about a roach but I learned something from this article that can help me future wise with the way work with my blog . Thanks
.-= ron´s last blog ..The power of planning ! =-.
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[…] The Entrepreneurial Cockroach. According to this Planting Dollars post, cockroaches would make excellent entrepreneurs for three reasons: They're quick, they don't die easily, and they're adaptable. […]
Funny you should mention roaches. We do get some here from time to time, so they definitely don’t go away.
Though they’re disgusting, I do appreciate the comparison regarding their persistence. I may squash one, but another comes back soon enough.
We should develop the same mentality!
.-= Darren´s last blog ..What’s More Important – Your Money Or Your Life? =-.
cockroaches have been around millions of years in pretty much the same form I have read. They have not changed much in all this time. Guess that is where their persistence comes in. We have none in our house. Good thing, I am allergic to them.