Far better is it to
dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. - Teddy Roosevelt
Dedication Page
This Field Guide is dedicated to:
Hayden & Harrison
The two most amazing millennial entrepreneurs I know.
Each of you are the source of infinite pride for me and your mom. We are so incredibly proud of the heights you have soared in such
a short time. Your happiness and joy is our biggest wish for you.
We have faith you will find it in your own way, but if the words
in this field guide can help you move any mountains,
then this book will be a huge success.
Love, Dad
Essentials
Welcome to your field guide to entrepreneurial success. Field guides are designed to be used in the field. In this case, the “field” is your life. Yeah, that’s kind of deep, I know. But it’s also true. Because field guides are often associated with nature, they are made to be brought into the field and help users distinguish between common objects. For you, the “field” is your world. The common objects are the people, opportunities and things you are trying to navigate in order to arrive at your version of success.
The objective of the trip into the field is to share what others have accomplished in the hopes you might find it useful in charting your own path. If you’re reading this, the guess is that you are probably looking for some guidance to plot your way forward. If that’s true, this field guide is for you. Presented inside this guide is a series of personal short profiles of some who have beaten the odds and grabbed a hold of success. It’s also a summary of the personas and waypoints these entrepreneurs have used. This guide is the result of interviews with dozens and dozens of successful entrepreneurs, and focusing the past 18 months specifically on millennial entrepreneurs who have navigated the journey. Most importantly they think of themselves as being “successful.” And while the definition of success can change from individual to individual, once they believe they have realized success... they have.
Solving the riddle
And, me? I’m just a baby-boomer entrepreneur offering to take you on this road trip. The concept of the field guide popped up one day while I was talking to my son Hayden. At that point, he was a 22-year-old recent college grad thumbing through one of the Wildsam Field Guides that Taylor Bruce produces (Chapter 4). While Hayden was admiring the design, the structure and the ease of reading the guide on Detroit, he made an insightful comment. He thought it would be awesome and useful if there was a book similar to this, written with recent college grads in mind, with the purpose of helping them solve the entrepreneurial riddle.
That quick conversation stuck with me for several months. I kept coming back to it in my head. I began to imagine an entrepreneurial field guide that would be very different from the business books I’ve read in my life. As much as I respect and admire authors like Jim Collins and Steven Covey, I could visualize a different kind of read. A book written in a snackable, easily consumable way that focused on sharing success stories from millennial entrepreneurs, each of who have deciphered the code, earning entrepreneurial success. I believed then, as I do now, that if the stories in the guide were told in a personal and relatable way, then they could have tremendous meaning and be applicable to the hopes and dreams of many in this generation who are often misunderstood and maligned.
A clear need
So, I reached out to a millennial entrepreneur I knew and trusted—Chase Fancher of Oak & Oscar (Chapter 1). I shared my idea, asked what he thought of it and asked if he’d help me test the theory by being my first interview subject/victim. Chase agreed to meet me at his favorite hangout in New York City and we chatted for hours. It was everything I hoped it would be and I knew as I walked out of that restaurant this “field guide” concept was going to work.
What you now hold in your hands is the sum total of many, many interviews and conversations with entrepreneurs of all millennial ages. The focus of the guide is dealing with the unique and special challenges for risk-takers of the millennial generation. These issues are just as difficult and complex as they were for previous generations of entrepreneurs, but they also tend to be a bit more multifaceted.
Inside are 11 profiles of amazing entrepreneurs from all walks of life. Men and women from my hometown of Detroit to New York City. From Los Angeles, to Austin. From tech companies in San Francisco to manufacturers in Chicago. The field guide represents as many varied examples as I could find. The mission was to talk to people from all walks of life, backgrounds and geography—all who had dreams, passions and ideas that they had somehow turned into reality.
And that’s the real focal point of the book: to help you chart your journey of converting your dream to your reality. To assist in pointing you in a direction that will allow you to gain the confidence and strength, so that you too can “dare mighty things.” I would love to help you gain the courage to step off the ledge and begin your journey.
Sadly, there are millions of dreamers hitting the snooze button every morning and heading off to a job they can’t stand. They are logging mindless time for a company they don’t respect. But what sets apart those who really do make it from those who only talk about it? The answer to that question is within the profiles. The answer is also within you, but you’re going to have to find it on your own. As a parent, I believe that it’s better to model successful behavior and allow my kids to make the connection on their own. And even better, if I can point them to a story of someone who is relatable to them and allow that story speak for itself. So, here are 11 stories that will hopefully do that for you. Enjoy.
The Field Guide Concept
Don’t start at the beginning. It’s a field guide, after all. Open to a profile that looks interesting. Each story begins with a TL;DR (too long didn’t read) summary. It sketches the big picture of the profiled subject and how they seized success. Thumb through each of those and start with a story that suits you best. Look for one that might be most applicable to you. Find a profile where you can imagine yourself in that person’s world, and really feel how their ideas or struggles might be similar to your struggles. Then, dive in. At the end of the profile you’ll find a few example “persona” callouts that are most applicable to that person’s journey. These are meant to lead you to the more flushed out version of a specific “waypoint/persona” in Part 3. Hop over to that part of the guide and get more details about a persona that might be most appropriate to your journey. In those sections you’ll read about some other profiles where that waypoint is also featured. Hop over to that profile. And off you go.
"Congratulations, today is your day."
–Dr. Seuss
You’ll also note that there are some blank pages and prompts along the way. Little resting points to make your own Field Notes. Mostly it’s just a space to jot down an idea or two or maybe a question to consider. It may seem a bit silly, but they really will help you. Go ahead, commit to the concept of the field guide. What have you got to lose? DMT it.
So,
