Die Wurzeln der meisten Probleme liegen in der Regel beim Chef.

Recently, a view has become popular in the startup circle: Starting a business is not like a cruise trip; it's like setting sail in a rickety boat. Choosing to start a business means choosing to enter an environment filled with repeated pain and continuous setbacks.

On the other hand, in this era of the explosion of hard - tech startups, although it may not be the optimal choice for scientists to start businesses, it is a rare opportunity bestowed by the times.

But how should we correctly view entrepreneurship? What are the core elements of a successful startup? Why is it said that a calm mindset is more important than ability for entrepreneurs?

Li Hao, the founding partner of Zhongke Chuangxing, combined with 24 years of investment experience, revealed the essence of entrepreneurship as "uniting people with great energy to form an organization with a unified vector" using the framework of "investigating things to extend knowledge, being sincere in thought, cultivating one's own character, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world".

This article will help you dissect the underlying logic of entrepreneurship and understand those crucial cognitive dimensions that are easily overlooked in the process from 0 to 1.

01 The Essence of Entrepreneurship and the Opportunities of the Times

The essence of technology transfer is the transfer of capabilities

It may not be the best choice for scientists to start businesses, but it is the best opportunity of the times.

How to understand this statement?

What the founder of Steinbeis said is closest to the essence: The essence of technology transfer is the transfer and inheritance of knowledge and capabilities.

Let me explain this statement to you.

For example, in Silicon Valley or other places, you can directly sell your patents to others, and then their companies will carry out the technology transfer. The reason you don't need to start a business yourself is that there is a complete system to undertake the transfer of your knowledge and capabilities.

Then why do domestic technicians get involved in starting businesses themselves? It's because they can't find a system for transfer and inheritance, and we are currently in the early stage of the ecosystem.

A person's fate is closely linked to the times. As we all know, currently, we are facing the situation of Sino - US competition, and the country has elevated technological innovation to an unprecedented level.

We are all living in this particular era. Just like people living during the Anti - Japanese War or the Republic of China era, the background of that era largely determined the upper and lower limits of their lives.

In other words, we are fortunate to live in this era, which determines that we have unique development possibilities.

The opportunity of the times is the greatest "destiny" for entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs cannot choose the era. If you live in China, it was a good choice to engage in real estate 30 years ago.

Many people in the real - estate industry may have started as construction companies or construction workers. Were they the best candidates for the real - estate business? No, they just came across such opportunities in that era.

Similarly, we are now in the best era for tech startups. The ability to start a business is the greatest opportunity the times have given you. Whether it's suitable or not doesn't really matter because the historical mission has been placed on your shoulders.

Entrepreneurial Purpose: Creating a Successful Enterprise is Fundamental

① The fundamental purpose of entrepreneurship is to create a successful enterprise, not just for personal self - improvement

What is the purpose of entrepreneurship? Is it to create a successful enterprise or to improve yourself? Have you ever thought about this question?

Although these two questions are not contradictory, how do you prioritize them in your mind?

I can tell you that many years ago, I thought entrepreneurship was for self - improvement, including personality and moral cultivation, and of course, there would also be economic returns.

Today, I'm not the same as before. This is my growth process. I believe that as long as the enterprise succeeds, I'm willing to make sacrifices. I clearly know that I'm following the laws of entrepreneurship, and in fact, my interests are closely linked to those of the enterprise.

Throughout history, every well - known figure and entrepreneur is remembered because of the great things they did and the great enterprises they built, not because of their personal greatness. It's the deeds that make them great. Otherwise, without that historical context and specific events, nothing would exist.

② A sense of mission beyond profit - seeking is the key driving force for a successful enterprise

Why do you start a business? What's your reason for starting a business? Have you ever thought about why investors ask you this question or what kind of answer they expect?

In fact, what lies behind the question is a logic, which can be further translated as what is the mission of the enterprise you founded.

Why does an enterprise need a mission? Can I create an enterprise without a mission? Or can I just copy or slightly modify someone else's mission? After all, their mission sounds great.

Let's dig deeper into this question. Can an enterprise exist without a mission? Of course, it can. But without a mission, it's easy to turn an enterprise into just a business.

Your mission is also related to the common belief that an enterprise should have a pursuit beyond profit, and this mission must be sincerely believed.

I think every founder, enterprise executive, and all employees should strive based on a sincere belief in the mission.

If you don't believe in the mission yourself, you need to find a mission that everyone believes in because it is a kind of power.

Then what kind of power is it?

For example, in our team, I emphasize one thing, that is, the management should have "tough love".

What is "tough love"? It means that during the quarterly performance conversations with subordinates, higher requirements should be put forward for their work because only in this way can they achieve better growth.

When pointing out their work deficiencies and mistakes to help them develop better, there should be love behind it.

What is this love? It is for the well - being of subordinates, not for PUA. This love should come from the bottom of your heart.

I say that love is a kind of ability. Why? It's not just about telling someone "I love you"; it's about making the other person truly feel your love.

If the other person feels it, it means you have the ability to love; if not, it means you only have the idea of love but not the ability.

Then how can you make the other person feel this love? When talking to the other person, you can think of yourself as a special machine part.

In addition to the obvious perception methods such as vision, smell, and taste, you have some perception abilities that you may not even be able to clearly describe. You can truly feel whether the other person is kind or malicious towards you, whether they are good or bad to you.

This ability to love is the same as the sense of mission we are talking about today. Only when you truly believe in it can all your "transmitters" emit the signal and wave of love, and the other person's "receiver" can receive it. This is the " sincerity " I mentioned when emphasizing that love is an ability, and it's also my personal experience.

I've noticed that all successful enterprises today have this ability of sincerity and a pursuit beyond profit.

If you encounter some difficulties in business operations, such as difficulties in financing or many problems among the team and partners, you must think about whether the root cause lies here.

If there is no progress in solving these problems, and you only try to solve them through some skills, words, or promises, I can clearly tell you that even if you solve one problem, there will be others because you haven't addressed the root cause, which is sincerity and mission.

02 The Core Definition and Key Elements of Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship Definition: Unite People with Great Energy and Move Forward with a Unified Vector

What is entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship means uniting a group of people with "great energy" to form an organization, moving forward with a unified vector.

Moving along the same direction (vision) and the correct path (strategy).

Abiding by common principles (systems and culture).

Advancing at high speed (execution ability), leading the way forward (entrepreneurship is a game to win), and maintaining a calm and relaxed mindset.

Let's break it down specifically:

① Unite a group of people with "great energy"

A company needs energy. I'm not very fond of using the word "desire"; I prefer to call it "passion". You should know that these two words have different meanings.

A philosopher once made an interesting analogy, something like this: In the picture, there is a charioteer driving a black horse and a white horse. He compared the black horse to desire and the white horse to passion.

He said that everyone has both desire and passion, and we need to use reason to manage our desires.

Philosophically speaking, when you choose the path of entrepreneurship, you must have more internal driving force than others, that is, more passion, or you are not satisfied with the status quo.

You need to clearly distinguish between your desire and passion and learn to manage them reasonably. Only in this way can you be a wise and rational person.

If you are led by the "black horse" of desire and fail to play the controlling role of the charioteer, it's like you are following the horse.

The same goes for a company. When facing issues such as income, distribution, desires, passions, and various feelings, there must be an internal driving force.

I think this energy is very important in a company, and of course, the "charioteer" who manages this energy is also crucial.

② Form an Organization

The main difference between an organization and a gang lies in whether they have a common mission and pursuit. This difference is not just about words; it lies in whether you believe in it.

In a company, whether you are an executive or an entrepreneur, what matters is whether team members truly believe in and have a sense of mission. Some team members may firmly believe in it, while others may not feel it strongly or lack such a belief.

A sense of mission is closely related to faith.

Take myself as an example. I regard Zhongke Chuangxing as my life mission. It wasn't like this at the beginning; it was a belief that gradually strengthened over years of work.

I began to realize that the mission is a kind of faith. It makes you believe that everything is predestined, and you just need to follow your heart to fulfill it. This belief makes me feel that everything I do is for a greater goal, as if it were a task assigned to me by God.

When you have a sense of mission, you won't be so anxious. You no longer think of it as a matter of personal gain or loss, and you won't be affected by conflicts of interest. You just believe that this is the mission arranged by God, and you come to this world to accomplish this thing well, and only then can you have a sense of fulfillment.

③ Unified Vector

Unified vector means moving in one direction. Why use the word "vector"? It represents both direction and speed.

It's like an arrow. Try to feel this. After the team finds the direction, are they all moving in the same direction? If there is passion without a clear direction, the company will be difficult to manage.

④ Along the Same Direction (Vision) and the Correct Path (Strategy)

Only when the founder and executives truly have a sense of mission in their hearts can they clearly and accurately describe the mission of the enterprise.

Only when the main partners or the founding team truly believe in the mission from the bottom of their hearts can they understand what kind of vision can be found under the guidance of this mission.

What is vision?

Vision is about imagining what the company will be like in 5 or 10 years. It's about you and your partners constantly discussing and envisioning the future of the company in 5 or 10 years.

After you reach an agreement on the future appearance of the company or reach a consensus on the expected position, the path planned from the present to that target position is your strategy.

In addition, long - term communication is necessary. What is long - term communication? You can understand it as discussing things far into the future.

There are several benefits to discussing things far into the future:

Firstly, even if you have different opinions, it's not easy to quarrel because the matter is so far away. It's okay if you don't reach an agreement today, or even next year.

Secondly, if you can discuss and reach an agreement on things far into the future, it provides more assurance. As long as you are united and work together, I can't say you will definitely win, but it will greatly increase the probability of winning.

In entrepreneurship, sometimes when you and your competitors have set the direction, seized the opportunity, and chosen the right track, the one who can win is the one who makes fewer mistakes, is more united, and has higher efficiency.

⑤ Abide by Common Principles (Systems, Culture)

In terms of systems and culture, when there is only one person in the company, you don't necessarily have to establish a very perfect and large - scale system at the beginning.

I think at least a set of values should be defined in the company. You need to be clear about what is right and what is wrong, what the company advocates and what it opposes.

If you wait until the company grows and then discuss culture, it will be difficult. Moreover, culture has a life of its own.

What does it mean to have a life? Once the company's culture is formed, even if you replace the current group of people with a new one, the culture will remain the same.

⑥ High - Speed Advancement (Execution Ability)

High - speed advancement means execution ability. If the company's direction is correct, then it's about competing with competitors in terms of execution ability and efficiency.

⑦ A Calm Mindset

The last one is to maintain a calm mindset.

The Four Cornerstones of Entrepreneurship: Mission, Vision, Pattern, and Passion

Actually, after clarifying the definition of entrepreneurship, it