Scipreneurs/7-day-intro/6 - can you stay motivated

Today, it's a special day, because technically it's the last day of the core of the crash-course.

If there's a day to go out and celebrate, it is definitely today. Don't forget to share the photos!

Now, back to business... Or entrepreneurship!

As you probably realized by now, this short introduction is shaped like a V. We started discussing about your motivation, and went down to looking at what resources you need. Then we bounced back to re-evaluate to things with a different perspective.

Now it's time to look again at what are your motivations to start a company. Remember that I asked you to write it down? It was not a random request, once you write down, you have an anchor for your thoughts, and they become easier to compare and argue against.

One of the challenges about becoming an entrepreneur is that the journey is a complete rollercoaster. There will be some days, weeks, months that they feel like an absolute win. Things move forward, there's plenty to do, there's enthusiasm. Sometimes, however, nothing will be clear.

The most important aspect of becoming an entrepreneur is that you have to become a leader.

There are many discussions on what a leader is, if it should be like a chef in the kitchen, like a military general, or like an orchestra conductor. Each person will follow their own path, and the people around them will be those that are able to follow that kind of leader.

Scientists, except some specific high-profile cases, normally don't perceive themselves as leaders.

Their groups change so quickly that they barely have the chance to build and influence people. Imagine a postdocs who stays for 1 or 2 years at a lab. Half the time their are easing into the position, half the time they are thinking about their next career move.

Transitioning to your own company requires that you become a leader. Even if there's no team, you will need to pull together resources, to align the wishes of different actors to support your initiative.

And that is one of the final things you will need to develop as a founder: a vision.

People will gather around you and your plans when they share the vision you propose them. Where do you want the company to go, how are you impacting the world.

Entrepreneurs are people who take action in their own hands, even if they seldom reflect on it. They could have left others to do the same, but they care enough as to nurture their own ideas and views of the future. You can decide that the future looks gloom and we all need armored cars to move around, or you think you can build a future were there's only public transport.

The final homework of this crash-course is for you to find examples of leaders, both in your daily life as well as in the world. Can you identify some treats they have in common? What kind of leader do you want to become?

We are done with this crash-course. You have a complete overview of what it takes to get started. Are you still up for it? I really want to know.

Next time, we'll recap and discuss how to move forward.