The best entrepreneurs need to undergo this "metamorphosis"

My recent blog chat about "Product person" and how important it is to have an artist-like vision in the founding team. These are the rare people who are one of the reasons why only a handful of startups have finally succeeded.

But there is not enough foresight to be a good entrepreneur and build a successful company. For the past 15 years, I've found one thing in common with many good entrepreneurs:

The good founders were initially the "dreamers" who were not persuaded, visionary, and artistic, but later "morphed" into perfect "listeners" who made subtle improvements based on feedback.

It may sound easy and hard to do. For example, it took Michelangelo two years to complete the "David". Imagine if carving went on for a year, his funders and early viewers said to him: "It looks good, but some places don't feel right." I hope his hair is shorter, his nose is smaller, and if you don't think about putting his pants on. "How do you suppose Michelangelo would react?"

Entrepreneurs are facing the same challenges. They plunge into uncharted territory, often ignoring a mentor's warning. Gradually, they will be forced into a person who listens to advice and feedback, and then decides. Good entrepreneurs embrace this metamorphosis, and they have the courage to understand what users really need and not to imagine what the world needs.

But please don't get me wrong. Good entrepreneurs start with a vision (Vision), but I believe they will change themselves over time, so entrepreneurship is both artistic and scientific. At the annual venture camp, when I lead college students to engage in client engagement, I often cite a famous quote from Henry Ford's founder: "If I ask my clients what they want, they might tell me to want a faster horse." Years of experience tell me that when you show a better product to your users, they know what they really want.

The best entrepreneurs are a group of people who are "stubborn rebels" who are willing to commit themselves to creating better things that ordinary people cannot imagine, and they are also courageous and pragmatic, based on feedback and excellence.

The reality for startups is that if entrepreneurs don't "morph" from a paranoid dreamer and go crazy to serve a good user (maniacal customer pleasers), their most important advantage will be lost. Entrepreneurs, by virtue of the courage to explore, walk in front of competitors. When you lead in the front, you learn faster than anyone else. If you are good at listening and adjusting, your winning side will be bigger. My mentor and friend Andy Rachleff, he used to say:

All startups pivot.

But to do so is not easy, entrepreneurs must be very humble. One of my predecessors said to me:

Humility is not to be humble, but to think less of yourself. "Humility isn ' t thinking Pager of yourself, it ' s thinking of yourself pager."

Excellent entrepreneurs will not insist on their original product vision, they will embrace the user's empathy and humility, according to the user's views on the product vision to make adjustments.

When I was in the early stages of investing, I often thought about whether the team could do this "metamorphosis". Sometimes it's hard to get answers. But I know all the best entrepreneurs can.

So, what about you?