Why I should quit Veii

You're only crazy until it works, right?

I've been cold-emailing entrepreneurs I admire who have built companies worth $500 million to $1 billion. So far, about every 1 in 3 has responded. Recently, I had a Zoom call with one of them—he’s worth around $200 million. We discussed a lot of business stuff that is probably boring to most. Just know it was good food for my brain.

At the end of our conversation, he said something that struck a chord with me. He told me, “Ike, I’m going to share something I wish someone had told me. You have ‘it’ and I know you’re going to be very successful just by talking to you and hearing your story.” He then explained that two things determine an entrepreneur’s success. The first is their relentless determination to keep going mixed with unwavering self-belief, which is often highlighted in the media. The second, and perhaps less discussed, is the ability to recognize when you’re applying an A-level skillset to a C-level opportunity and weighing the time spent vs reward given.

We ended the call with that thought. I sat there for a good five minutes, really absorbing what he had said. For a brief moment, I even imagined a scenario where I wasn't running Veii anymore and juggled a few ideas of better businesses I could start. But then it hit me: what he shared was just a rite of passage. Veii is definitely ‘C-level’ opportunity right now, but I have an ‘A-level’ skill set. The entrepreneur I spoke with made his fortune selling water bottles… nothing groundbreaking, just a little cheaper than Stanley with a good distribution system to scale. It's not about the game I choose to play it's about the love for the game and the willingness to keep playing, even when it gets tough.

If his words were enough to make me really consider quitting what I’ve been building for five years that already has a strong foundation, then I’m not built for this shit to be honest. So, thanks to Mike for challenging me. Onward!

p.s. something cool I learned is that back in the 1950s, companies had to run ads to convince people to add electricity to their homes. It’s crazy to think how stuff that’s so normal now used to be uncommon.

Advertisement in the October 1958 issue of Better Homes & Gardens

Advertisement in the October 1958 issue of Better Homes & Gardens

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