Essential Entrepreneurialism

I have heard it said more than once: "You are very brave to be an entrepreneur".

Here's the truth: I am too scared to base my career in any other way. Yes, being in the driver's seat comes with a lot of responsibility, but it also comes with a LOT of agency. Bureaucratic red-tape does not happen with entrepreneurs to the same degree that it happens in organizations that are corporate or government run.

The thing is, being in the entrepreneur driver's seat also builds a spider sense about the true value of time and energy invested on things. To someone who does not have skin in the game and who is just a punchcard number on an HR spreadsheet, they invariably have no reason or very few reasons to consider whether their time is being spent usefully. They can engage in "busy work" and feel like "hey, I showed up - isn't that enough?", yet make no appreciable contribution to the company moving forward.

In my experiences, I have been able to work with several large organizations, but usually at a healthy arm's length. I have witnessed how folks, with no bad intentions, will authorize expenses that have no real justification for the long-term outlook of their organization. They will greenlight software upgrades. They will make expensive commitments. They will over-buy. They won't take the time to look for less espensive alternatives (too much trouble!). They will turn a blind eye to someone cheating the company. Etc. Etc. In Texas, they refer to such a person as All Hat And No Cattle. Such folks like to play the role and being spendy makes them feel like they are playing the role effectively. But, they have no skin in the game. Their fallback is to go and work for someone else if the current "arrangement" doesn't work out.

If they are in middle-management with some authority to expand their team, they will hire indiscriminately and pay "whatever" and authorize benefits and other perks too as if the organization has endlessly deep pockets. These things make an entrepreneur's skin crawl. They know that a company is like a ship and that a hundred small leaks could sink that ship. By contrast, an entrepreneur knows that each team member's contribution to the company should literally drive revenue or manage that revenue effectively. There is no room for slush.

Tribute To An Entrepreneur - Frank E. Tomori

I first met Frank when I was a young boy and he was the Canadian national judo champ with Olympic prospects. Frank was the son of my dad's first cousin. He was a colourful man with endless stories from a life rich in experiences.

Frank was also an entrepreneur.

In the years after his elite sportsmanship, and as the owner and operator of "The Investment Recovery Group", Frank tapped his expansive rolodex of contacts to build a very successful company. With all of the industry that used to exist in Niagara through til the early 2000's, the opportunity was ripe for someone like Frank to help out by buying surplus materials from one factory and supply them to another in need. He navigated the business game of arbitrage skillfully, with flair and panache. His quick mind was only bested by his quicker smile. ALWAYS, Frank thought optimistically about the future, even after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

My favourite expression that Frank used was this: "Either we will find a way or we will make our own way". Now THAT is an expression of entrepreneurial essentialism. Thank you, Frank.

Only in his 60's, and still with much youthful vigor until sickness struck, Frank Tomori passed away in early 2024. The world loses when someone like Frank goes. He was a dot-connector. He was the glue that bound relationships together. He operated like an orchestra leader. And, as a result of his efforts, he enriched the lives of those who worked with and for him. Frank "had the cattle" AND he "wore the hat" too.

The world needs more people like Frank Tomori who know that their "consumption needs" as a human MUST be balanced by their "producer talents".

Rest in peace, Frank Tomori. You were an inspiration.

You know that every person dies, but not every person truly lives. Grab the bull by the horns and live a life of adventure and creativity.

Do you have a story you can share about Frank with me? Do you have some words of alignment with the entrepreneur mindset? I would love to hear from you.

Do you like our philosophical approach to business? Drop us a line. We look forward to working with like-minded people and companies.