Behind The Psyche Of The Successful Entrepreneur With Jason Feifer
Jason Feifer is the editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur magazine. We caught up with the expert on what he deems is the secret sauce that makes up the psyche of the successful entrepreneur.
I once tried my hand at running my own business and quickly realized it wasn’t for me. I am someone who can’t deal with that mammoth of responsibility. I know what I’m good at and what I’m not. No shame. My failed attempt did, however, peak an interest in the psyche of the entrepreneur. What exactly is it that the 14% of you have that the rest of us mere mortals don’t? Surely, you don’t possess a Kris Jenner trait. Or, do you? I turned to the expert Jason Feifer, editor-in-chief of the bible that is Entrepreneur, for some insight. If anyone knows what makes up the psyche of the successful entrepreneur, it’s this guy.
Feifer said, “Successful entrepreneurs are able to change—both themselves and their companies. They understand that everything is a work in progress, including their own abilities, their role as a leader, how their company operates, and perhaps even what it does. I know that may sound obvious, but it actually goes against human nature.”
It’s a little reckless, maybe irresponsible, to entertain the idea of quitting your 9-to-5 job to see if you can “change” interchangeably during your entrepreneurial escapade. But, if you ask Feifer, taking risk is also part of what makes entrepreneurs successful.
“Building something takes risk, and we don’t naturally like risk. That’s why, if we’ve taken a risk and it worked out, our natural instinct is to hold on—to simply maintain it, and guard it, and consider ourselves done,” said Feifer.
Taking risks, even if it works, isn’t enough because things can change. Feifer agrees and offers additional insight as to what else also makes entrepreneurs successful.
“But the world doesn’t accommodate to that. The world moves on. The ground will shift beneath our feet. So to be successful, an entrepreneur must shift as well. Otherwise, they’ll eventually be left behind.”
Feifer refreshingly models after his own advice having two entertaining and insightful podcasts: one called “Pessimists Archive” and the other one called “Problem Solver“. Plus, he’s set to release his new novel, Mr. Nice Guy, written along with his wife, October 2018.
“It centers around two people who sleep together and critically review each others’ performance in a magazine. It’s a really fun exploration of what happens when people are honest about the thing nobody’s ever totally honest about, and it’s also a trip into the crazy media world that my wife and I have worked in for the past decade.”
