ARE YOU MOSES or THE GUY THAT COMES AFTER MOSES?
By Ubukombe Hallellua Pacifique CONTRIBUTOR (Opinions expressed by YOH contributors are their own.)
Some bitter truth:
Many entrepreneurs who’re the first (pioneers in the industry) will not succeed monetary wise as they expect but they just change the rules of the game.
As an entrepreneur, you’ve to be comfortable with this bitter truth. It is called Moses Syndrome.
You take people from Egypt to the promised land of which you may not be able to walk in. As a pioneer of an industry, you’re Moses.
In tech, we call that “bleeding edge” which differs from”leading edge”. Typically first tech entrepreneurs to start certain businesses don’t make it.
A pioneer pay the price of those who come after you.
NAPSTER paid the price for ITUNES and SPOTIFY. It was the first file sharing service in the world where you could send music to your friends.Sean and his friends did not succeed monetary wise, they changed the game.
Remember friendster? It gave room for FACEBOOK
and other social media platforms.
Let me give you another example: Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in jail and 67 years fighting for liberation of South Africa when he died, his net worth estimates was less than $20m.
And what happened to those who came after Nelson Mandela. They’re billionaires and never even spent a single day in jail.
When you’re an #Entrepreneur , ask yourself this question:
” Am I Moses or the guy that comes after Moses?”
Do you know what is so strange about that?
Moses or the guy after him, is a God given purpose. You don’t get to choose which you are unfortunately.
Personally, I would love to be the guy after Moses but I might not be.
In Africa, most entrepreneurs of this generation are Moses. Your role is to push, agitate…
As a first time entrepreneur, you’ll say things that policy makers will not like… It’s fine. Remember you’re building an ecosystem that does not exist.
20 years from now, you can be one of the people who’ve made an impact on your industry.
That’s a role of Moses entrepreneurs.
Moses or the guy that comes after him, you should know you can’t be both.
There’re a lot of people who think being first, you’ve a divine right to exist for eternity, which is not true.
First does not mean you’re the best always. It means you’re the first. Only that.
Every mistake you make when you’re number one’ll multiply losses tenfold. Everything you get right’ll be diminutive in reward tenfold to every person that comes after you.
You know why?
Everybody that comes after you is going to study your template.
How many of you started businesses and before you do, you go to the internet to look at other people who’ve done what you’re trying to do?
They paid the price for you already. You’re studying their template.
As African entrepreneurs, you don’t have to whine about your existence as Moses. There’s nothing you can do about it except changing the rules of the game while creating templates for your successors in that game to follow.
You’ll have made an impact not much monetary success.
Anyways, it is not only entrepreneurship but any other career you might be pursuing. Most things being done in our generation are almost entirely new to our ecosystem. Let us not complain but let us push things for the next generation.
UBUKOMBE HALLELLUA PACIFIQUE is a Voracious Reader, Entrepreneur/Investor, Business Scientist, Writer, Renaissance Speaker & Student of Life. He can be contacted at the following email: [email protected]
Ubukombe hail from Kigali, Rwanda
#ENTREPRENEUR #YOUTH #START-UP #BUSINESS #MONEY #2020 #
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