Editor's Note

Entrepreneur,  April, 2000  

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Disillusioned

Millennium madness, e-commerce excitement...where does the hype end and the reality begin?

We are a third of the way through the first year of the new century, and I don't feel any different. I thought I would, as I'm sure many of you did. Maybe it was the excessive hype, or maybe my expectations were too high. The year 2000 always seemed somewhat mystical, as though at the stroke of midnight on January 1, without any special effort on our part, we on Earth would somehow be transformed.

Well, we weren't. Or at least I wasn't. If you were, then I envy you. And you can stop reading and turn the page. But if you feel like I do, I hope you'll think about the message (entrepreneurial, of course) this millennial year has brought us.

We seem to be living in a time when many think they can make millions in the blink of an eye merely by building a Web site. Numerous "real-life" examples of this can be found just by picking up newspapers or magazines, or by turning on the TV or computer. And so, driven by the hype, some try to duplicate that process, only to find when the big moment arrives (much like the day after New Year's), there's no "there" there. Only shattered expectations.

I'm certainly not saying you can't make tons of cash on the Net. Some of the hype is reality-based. But the realistic among us (and usually I'm more a dreamer than a realist) know that while you may (if you're very, very lucky) get rich quick, you can't get rich easy. It takes work--hard work--to make it happen, and you still need that dose of luck.

Need proof? Just check in with some of the entrepreneurs featured in Robert McGarvey's excellent article on the dark side of the Web, "Dot Dot Dot," on page 96. Luckily, just like Darth Vader, their "visits" to the dark side weren't permanent. Read their stories and heed their lessons. As your business soars, keep your feet on the ground (or at least try to). And above all, tame your expectations, but not your dreams.

CHECK IT OUT

Start a revolution in your management thinking. Pick up Ben Franklin's 12 Rules of Management: The Founding Father of American Business Solves Your Toughest Problems (Entrpreneur Press, $14.95) by Blame McCormick, Ph.D. It's available at Entrepreneur.com and at local and online bookstores everywhere.

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