"I paused my channel surfing just in time to hear him share with Meyers the philosophy that guided him throughout his incredibly long and successful career: "There's a giant orchestra, there's a lot of noise and I'm just banging my triangle. Is anyone even hearing me?" says O'Brien. "And this sounds crazy, it's like, some Buddhist idea. But if you just stay true to what you believe in, and you keep doing it with purpose, eventually, they'll only hear the triangle.""
"I'm a proud solo founder now, but that wasn't always the plan. In fact, for years I'd intended to start a business with a close friend. He was 10 years older than me, he was more experienced and we had talked endlessly about launching a company together. We had a verbal agreement: 50/50 partners. No egos - just mutual trust and a shared dream."
"But when the time finally came to take the leap, everything changed. He told me that someone had advised him to take 51%. That one person always needed to be "in charge." It wasn't a suggestion - it was an ultimatum. I didn't even hesitate. I walked away. It was one of the hardest decisions I've made as an entrepreneur. But it was also the best one."
A late-night television metaphor about staying true to one's purpose motivated a founder's reflection on early company decisions. The founder had planned a 50/50 launch with a more experienced friend and trusted collaborator. When the prospective partner insisted on taking 51% control after outside advice, the founder chose to walk away rather than accept an ultimatum. The founder describes that choice as one of the hardest but ultimately the best. The decision severed a long-shared vision and left the founder to build alone, emphasizing the power of principles and purposeful persistence.
Read at Entrepreneur
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