100 Stories of What Makes an Entrepreneur 4/4/2011 by: Dr. Shannon Reese

Choosing the path of the entrepreneurship is not for everyone. Many would tell you that it requires a certain "it" factor, an inner drive, a burning desire, and/or a bit of crazy to start a business. So last week we posed a question to the entrepreneurial community and asked -

What was the catalyst in your life that drove you onto the entrepreneurial path,and what keeps you on it?

This was by far the most popular question we've asked, with 99 responses, plus my own, rounding to a cool 100. Everyone has a story to tell of what flipped that entrepreneurial switch on inside of him or her, but the stories have similar threads of burning desire, passion, wanting more from life, purpose, freedom, and more. If you are considering the path of entrepreneurship in your life, I hope that the following 100 stories will inspire you to take the leap.

Thank you to our wonderful list of contributors this week! Openly sharing your expertise and experiences is a huge asset to this blog and the readership. I wish you all a wonderful week and hope to see you here again.

Enjoy!

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No. 69
I started playing in rock bands when I was 15. Most would tell you a garage band isn't a business, but I would say they are wrong. We had appointments, regularly scheduled meetings, profits, losses, PR campaigns and contracts to name a few. I created a side t-shirt printing company in college to make my bands shirts and all the bands I could find in the area. I started a booking company with my co-guitarist and soon we were handling all the local shows at all the venues. When I graduated college I almost left it all behind to go work for a large company, but after reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki (my catalyst) I couldn't do it. I began working on a guitar training software that would revolutionize the way people learn. After working through development for 2 years (a MUST of an entrepreneur is the willingness to sacrifice time and money for potentially nothing) I am now the co-owner of Raw Talent Guitar, a revolutionary guitar training system for the PC.

Thanks to Shaun Fisher of Raw Talent Guitar