This video is a keynote that Chris Anderson, Author of “Free:…” & editor at WIRED magazine, gave at the Revenue Bootcamp put on by Garage Ventures. He discusses Free and the “animal forces of digital economics” that I find fascinating.

Entrepreneur Magazine’s November issue featured an article regarding a new-ish concept that Starbucks has embarked upon.  Many companies carry a common goal, a desire for international brand recognition and dominance.  Well, in some industries, that may not be the way to go.  Starbucks, one of those international branding phenomena, is actually “hiding” their brand within a few new locations.  What?! Yes, they are practically invisible as the the backer of a few new shops being opened.  With a billion dollar namesake, why would you forsake it? Well, coffee happens to be an area where indie is in.  Local, hip, one-of-kind, shoot-from-the-hip, is desirable.  People like their coffee shop, not some international cookie-cutter.  The new “15th Ave Coffee & Tea” is just that, local, hip, and still Starbucks (although you may not realize it).  The new coffee house features many ideas and innovations typically found only in local establishments with a coffee connoisseur founder.  That is in-part because of the liberty given to the new shop to run as such.  Protocols are a little more liberal but carry the support and resources of a powerhouse company in Starbucks.  Also, Starbucks is not the only one embarking on this trend.  As the article points out, Great Harvest Bread Co. has done this since the beginning. Similar ideas are coming out of Marriott Hotels and others.

A common conundrum that entrepreneurs find themselves in is that of work-life balance.  Even more so is a life-timing balance.  Often we are financially unstable, working 80 hour weeks, failing and starting up again, and we continue to put off life saying that once we achieve “x”, then we will be ready.  The common ones are marriage, children, vacations and travel, family time, personal time (not work related), etc.  I find myself with this dilemma on a regular basis, and here I am preparing for my first kid, a baby boy due in February!  I’m excited and have simply had to put those worries aside and know that I’ll figure it out.  There’s always a way and it’s never as bad as you initially think. Sometimes you just need to make it happen!

Live life in spite of circumstance

Sometimes life must be lived regardless of what circumstance permits.  Vacations and family time can only be passed on for so long before it grows too late.  Entrepreneurship is consuming and, for those who haven’t realized it yet, LIFELONG! 

Sustainability is a common term, often referring to some energy-efficient lifestyle choice or other “green” concept.  The goal being to create lifestyles, energies, and other things that are, yes, sustainable over the long term.  Using renewable resources that won’t wound the world more than it helps.  Sustainability is really the ability of any concept to continue onward running on its own production and energy.  In physics, the ultimate in sustainability would be a “perpetual motion machine“.  Although these don’t exist and even violate laws of thermodynamics, they would be the ultimate example of sustainable ideas.  They utilize energy they create to fuel themselves with 100% efficiency.
In the movement to affect world change, to progress society forward, to enhance the lives of those around us, from the poorest poor to the richest rich, sustainability can be a very valuable trait to any good strategy.  If it is temporary, like a loaf of bread to a starving person, it is good, but if it gives someone a lifetime of bread through seeding and farming, it is great and sustainable.

The greatest sustainable concept: Entrepreneurship

One of the reasons I am passionate about entrepreneurship is its uncanny ability to strive for sustainability. 

Many entrepreneurs come face-to-face with burnout at some point in their career.  When a company is in its infancy, it is common to put in long hours with little immediate result, in hopes of the big “payday” in the future.  The danger comes when burnout hits long before that grand day.

Achieving entrepreneurial balance is one of the most difficult efforts and one of the most important.  Balancing work, play, family, spirituality, etc. will provide additional energy and clarity that work alone will not deliver.  One must be careful not to simply neglect work or stagnate in work in attempts to maintain other areas, but strain, stretch, and push work efforts while ensuring adequate “wind-down” time with family, friends, and hobbies.  I personally have found this to be a necessity.  Spending time with my wife, painting, photography, mountain biking, and rock climbing are my chosen outlets.  This does not mean that work stress does not mount up, however.

I write this for myself as much as anyone else, even more so.  I am in a continual battle to find balance in order to achieve the desired success, not success at the cost of life. A recent post at bootstrapbusiness.org comments on this issue.  I recommend the book to any interested in bootstrapping. It states:

[advice from a mentor]:

“Rich, I want you to remember this: you can replace anything in life. You can replace a job, a car, money, anything, but you can’t replace your health, your trust relationships, or your family.”

It finishes with:

You do not need to sacrifice family, health, or trust relationships in exchange for entrepreneurial success. I contend that you will be more effective, happy, and successful if you do not.

Any ideas on ways to stay balanced?