Jaffer Ali

It was Woody Allen who said, “if you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative.” And he clearly knew his stuff. As a young writer for Sid Caesar, he, along with fellow comedy cohorts Larry Gelbart (of MASH fame), Mel Brooks, and Carl Reiner – to name just a few - created the most innovative environment in the Golden Age of Television.

I know many entrepreneurs and am struck by a common thread that runs through their lamentations. When entrepreneurs struggle, they inevitably point to not enough capital as the major reason for their struggle. I believe this is wrong.

If a lack of capital is not the number one problem for entrepreneurs, what is?

Entrepreneurship runs deep within my family. In the past five generations, four of those have listened to the call of being one’s own boss. What follows is my first attempt at trying to explain what I believe it takes to be an entrepreneur.