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Entrepreneurs never get a day off
A morning of breakdowns
One morning, Dana White had a board meeting at nine o'clock. He went to shave and found that both of his electric razors had died. On the drive in, the car's sensor reported a low back right tire and ordered him to stop the vehicle immediately, and he kept driving.
No days off
Then he reached work, where a long list of problems was waiting. Finding solutions to problems every day is what makes a good entrepreneur, and the job allows no birthdays, no Christmases, and no Thanksgivings. Anyone starting a business to get more time to themselves has picked the wrong thing. A nine-to-five with weekends and holidays off is the better fit for that goal.
Why the office matters
He is in the office from 8:30 in the morning and sometimes stays until 7, 8, 9, or 10 at night. His schedule is planned, but people pop in, conversations start, and things come up that nobody expected. A good group of people in a room produces ideas that nobody could have scheduled, which is why a successful business cannot be built from home.
How does a car know a tire is low?
Tire pressure monitoring systems come in two types. Direct systems put a pressure sensor inside each wheel that sends readings to the car's computer by radio. Indirect systems use the anti-lock brake sensors to notice when one wheel spins faster than the others, which happens when a tire loses air and its diameter shrinks. The United States required these systems on all new passenger vehicles beginning with the 2008 model year, under the TREAD Act of 2000.
Why does sitting near coworkers matter?
MIT professor Thomas Allen studied engineers in the 1970s and found that the frequency of communication between two people fell off sharply as the distance between their desks grew. The pattern became known as the Allen curve. It describes casual, unplanned exchanges, the kind that happen at a doorway or a coffee machine, rather than scheduled meetings. Allen published the findings in his 1977 book Managing the Flow of Technology.
Why do most new businesses close?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks new employer businesses over time. Its data show that about one in five closes within the first year and roughly half are gone within five years. Surveys of founders of failed startups, such as those compiled by CB Insights, most often cite running out of cash and building something the market did not want.
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