Some (rare) societies like the “idea” of entrepreneurship. This is good and must be preserved.

But even in these societies, people rarely like *actual* entrepreneurs.

The criticisms of actual entrepreneurs are endless: wild; pushy; demanding; controlling; obsessive; insensitive; scary; crazy; idiotic; violent; sociopathic.

That’s no coincidence. It takes a special kind of person to face a “wall of rejection” day after day for years and still find the strength continue. To face head-on the minuscule likelihood of actually succeeding and still put all their skin in the game. To choose to be David going toe-to-toe against the Goliath of whatever they’re working to disrupt.

Entrepreneurs are precious people. Doesn’t mean they should be worshipped; doesn’t mean they’re right about even most things. It just means that they are the tip of the spear of a certain kind of material human progress.

Without entrepreneurs, everything slows down. The status quo metastasizes. Cultural imagination stagnates.

We should do what we can as a society to make sure the flame of entrepreneurship is never extinguished. Even—especially—if we don’t “like” it.