Ode to the Entrepreneur

Before There Was You . . .

What was missing? Some piece of the world was absent, waiting for the right person at the right time, and that person…was you. You are more than a cog in a machine. You’ve built your own machine, something new and unique, and of it you should be very proud. It didn’t come from a kit, with clear instructions for tidy assembly. It came from you, your mind, your hard work, and your dream.

Movers, shakers, do-ers and makers: this is to you and the dream that got you where you are now. Whatever you call yourself, innovator, entrepreneur, industrialist or something else, we couldn’t do it without you and your machine. It wasn’t always clear, and it certainly wasn’t always easy, but you pushed through the muck and fog to do what you were meant to do. Every bump in the road, every setback, every night spent losing sleep to self-doubt and uncertainty, it all made you who you are today, and we are grateful for that.

We are grateful for how your dream has made you grow. We are grateful to have the you that your dream has pushed you to become. It’s more than the business that didn’t exist before you gave your idea life, more than the opportunities that have opened up, more than the invention that no one could get quite right but you. We are grateful for the fact that being driven to create something from nothing created a new you, and that you makes the world a better place.

Because dreams go on, after all. Should this project fail, there will be another. Should it sprawl and thrive beyond imagination, you may chase it. Should you grow weary of it and long for something different, something different will arrive. Creativity is endlessly alive, and once you’ve tapped that power in yourself it won’t disappear; it can only spread, inspire and drive once more. For this, we are grateful.

You have taken control of your own destiny and made something new, throwing more creative life into the universe around you. Whether it’s just you with a small, simple machine or a massive team running a rapidly growing endeavor, your resolve to use your creativity has done more good than you can know. You have connected yourself to your purpose, your purpose to strangers and strangers to each other. By pushing yourself out of what is comfortable, you have released a burst of potential into the world and opened space for others to flourish. You represent a force of positive change, and perhaps more than that, you represent the human connection precious to us all.

Wherever you’ve come from and wherever you’re going next, we are grateful for you. Too much was missing before you came along.