Where Are the Adults in Entrepreneurship?

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Entrepreneurship: A Playground for Immature Ideas
• Mediocre Apps No One Needs
• The Immaturity of Venture Capital
• Real Entrepreneurs Are Everywhere—Just Not Where You Think

Introduction

The longer I’ve spent in the startup world—investing in entrepreneurs, working with VCs, and even trying (and failing) to launch my own venture—the more it feels like I’m surrounded by people stuck in a never-ending game of make-believe. It’s like everyone just wants to play with their own LEGO set. Entrepreneurship today often feels like a hobby for people who think they can slap together a ‘cool idea’ and call it a business. And the wild part is, it’s not just about playing LEGO anymore—people are trying to sell their little LEGO sets and acting outraged when nobody wants to buy them.

Entrepreneurship: A Playground for Immature Ideas

There’s nothing inherently wrong with playing or experimenting. In fact, entrepreneurship requires creativity and a willingness to explore the unknown. But what I find increasingly irritating is the delusion. There’s a surge of people trying to sell mediocre apps, tools, or platforms that nobody asked for, tools that solve problems that don’t really exist. And when they fail to gain traction, these “founders” throw public tantrums online, frustrated that the world won’t embrace their self-proclaimed brilliance.

Mediocre Apps No One Needs

As marketing guru Seth Godin so aptly put it, “many people today are trying to sell sand in the desert.” Entrepreneurs these days take rejection so personally, like it’s a direct insult to them. To quote Lana Kane in the series Archer: “Is your ego so big you can’t handle a single rejection?”

And this delusion is only magnified by the fact that the tech startup world feels like it’s reaching a saturation point. Honestly, what is there left to solve on the internet? Are we not at a point where we’ve made every app, every SaaS product, every subscription tool imaginable? Godin nails it again with another quote: “It doesn’t make any sense to make a key and then run around looking for a lock to open.” Yet, that’s what so many startups seem to do. They create something first, then scramble to find a market.

The Immaturity of Venture Capital

The lack of maturity isn’t just with founders—it’s a problem in the Venture Capital world too. Some VCs, straight out of university with little life experience (and no clue what it takes to run a business), are somehow trusted with millions to invest. They’re always chasing the next Facebook or Amazon, throwing money at startups with barely a handful of users. Why? Because it’s the trendy thing to do, and no one wants to miss out on “the next big thing.” But here’s the truth: the days of hitting it big with the next tech giant are long gone.

There are 23-year-old venture capitalists out there offering unsolicited business advice when they’ve never had to manage a payroll, handle customer complaints, or navigate economic downturns. They’ve spent their whole careers in the bubble of theoretical finance, yet they confidently hand out guidance to struggling founders…

Real Entrepreneurs Are Everywhere—Just Not Where You Think

Moving forward, my focus is shifting. I want to learn from businesses that have stood the test of time—local bakeries, coffee shops, family businesses that have been operating for generations, universities, small-town hardware stores, barbershops, independent bookstores, neighborhood diners, farms that have passed through multiple generations, old-school print shops, and companies that have survived wars, recessions, and industry changes without losing their core values. These enterprises represent real entrepreneurship: not flashy, not aiming for a billion-dollar exit, but sustainable, rooted, and often deeply impactful.

I’m done being dazzled by “innovative” startups with shiny pitches and no substance. Instead, I’ll take wisdom from established companies and nonprofits. They know what it means to build something meaningful, to balance the books, and to serve a community year after year.

Because here’s the thing: running a business isn’t just about cool ideas and hype. It’s about showing up every day, doing the work, working with people, and creating something that has real value. And that’s where the real adults are—in the bakery that’s been open for 50 years, the coffee shop on the corner that knows every customer’s name, the family business that has survived economic booms and busts.