2. Forward
My entrepreneurial experience began at the age of 18 and has spanned only 3
years. Nevertheless, in that short time I have constructed a potent point of
view about what it means to be an entrepreneur. I have indulged in
opportunities that very few others my age have. I spent time learning the
Zen of entrepreneurship while interning with a web startup, learning form
the best at a top 10 startup accelerator and leading my own startup venture. I
have traveled to Hong Kong and Argentina in pursuit of adventure and new
experiences. I even started an entrepreneurship club in the hopes of passing
on what I have learned so far and to give the next round of entrepreneurs a
hand up.
This manifesto is a public statement of my theory on how to be a successful
young entrepreneur. It is my hope that this perspective will be valuable to
other young entrepreneurs, mature entrepreneurs, and my future self. I have
seen many manifestos, but I have yet to see a definitive piece for young
entrepreneurs by young entrepreneurs. It is my hope that you will read this
manifesto well and share it with your friends.
Trent Infield
Please Enjoy,
3. 1. Life is a Game, Roll the Dice 12. Know your Decision Making Process
2. Failure is Learning 13. Live on Fire
3. Learning is Glorious 14. Achieve Balance
4. Go Against the Flow 15. Build your Community
5. Own Your Ideas 16. Be a Traveler
6. Build for You 17. Communicate Effectively
7. Questions are Everything 18. Know your Story
8. Get it Done 18. Train Like an Athlete
9. Organize the Chaos 19. Silence the Voice of Judgment
10.Delete Distractions 20. Trust your Gut
4. Life is a Game, Roll the Dice
Have fun playing the game of life and others will
want to play with you. You set the rules because you
define success and what you are willing to endure.
Understand that you are playing for yourself but you
are not alone and your actions will affect others.
Reconcile the urge to be a part of other people’s
game. Life is best lived taking risks and chasing
opportunities
5. Failure is Learning
Failing is the best way to learn something . Even the
most successful entrepreneurs fail regularly.
Actually, that failure is part of why they are
successful. Learn the discipline of proper failure .
Fail fast and learn from the failure so you do not
make the same mistakes again.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is
the courage to continue that counts”
– Winston Churchill
6. Learning is Glorious
Learning is often viewed as a means to an end.
College students study so they can get a job,
accumulate money, accumulate things, and then
finally retire. For entrepreneurs, learning is a part of
the journey. Learning is the fuel that drives
innovation and growth. As we learn we are also
discovering how to learn, and that is the key to living
a fulfilling life. Be curious and committed to being a
life-long learner “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether
at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps
learning stays young. The greatest thing in
life is to keep your mind young.”
– Henry Ford
7. Go Against the Flow
My grandfather once said “If you see everyone doing
one thing, there is a good chance you should do the
opposite.” If you are going to be an entrepreneur you
will have to think and act differently than everyone
else. The status quo is the enemy of the
entrepreneur. You must develop blinders so you can
ignore what others are doing, that way you can
properly focus on what you are doing. If you are
trying to compare yourself to your I-banking friend
who drives a BMW, you are missing the point. “I'm not interested in preserving the status
quo; I want to overthrow it..”
– Niccolo Machiavelli
8. Own your Ideas
When it comes to life, there is nothing worse than
living based on the ideas of others. Live a life based
on your own ideas; not those of your parents, media,
or even your friends. A life of passion can only stem
from a genuine worldview. Only you can craft your
genuine worldview. People should have an emotional
reaction to you because you have a clear set of
principles and characteristics. You should do what
you do because you want to do it and for no other
“If you do not express your own original
reason. ideas, if you do not listen to your own
being, you will have betrayed yourself.”
– Dr. Rollo May
9. Build for you
In a world of exams, homework, projects and chores
it is important to take time to build things for you. If
you are only creating because you are tasked by an
extrinsic force you do not own the creative output or
your own creative force. These things do not have to
be huge, but they do have to be commissioned by
you for you. As an entrepreneur there will always be
more projects that can get done and you can easily
forget about you – don’t.
10. Questions are Everything
Questions get answers and answers lead to action.
Questions show interest, intellect and make an
impression on the questioned. Questions are an open
opportunity to display curiosity and a desire to
engage with concepts. The right questions lead to
second and third answers which are the best kind.
Furthermore, questions lead to follow up and
networking opportunities. Ask questions!
“Successful people ask better questions,
and as a result, they get better answers.”
– Tony Robbins
11. Get it Done
When it is time to work it is imperative that you are
getting it done. It is a cliché to work smarter not
harder, but I find you must work harder and smarter
if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur. You
cannot truly enjoy relaxing or playtime if you haven’t
gotten what you need to get done. Work efficiently
and focus on outputs. Do not procrastinate.
12. Organize the Chaos
Have a place for everything and get everything in its
place. When you have a task or an idea write it down
or you will lose it. If your ideas and tasks aren’t
organized in a way you trust, the tasks will just float
around in your brain and serve as a distraction. Once
everything is organized, set an expected time that
you think it will take to complete each item. You
don’t have to be exactly right. You will get better and
better at predicting how long it will take to complete
a task with experience. Set priorities for everything “The secret of all victory lies in the
and stick to them. organization of the non-obvious.”
– Marcus Aurelius
13. Delete Distractions
Close out the Facebook, turn off the email, and shut
out the distractions that are holding you back from
both being creative and getting things done. When
our brains are inundated with distractions they
cannot be creative. A distracted mind is also less
productive than a singly focused mind. Get rid of the
hard to beat distractions such has venomous friends
and other similar influences. Alcohol, Caffeine, and
other drugs can be dangerous distractions in the
wrong hands, especially if they create dependency.
14. Know your Decision Making Process
Having a decision making process can make
entrepreneurial life much easier. When it comes
time to make a decision, ignore sunk costs and only
consider the future benefits and costs. It can also be
useful to look at the opposite case and inspect some
hypothetical scenarios. Lay out alternatives and then
make the call. Remember, any decision is better than
indecision.
15. Live on Fire
When you are doing what you are meant to do you
will feel it, I guarantee it. You will feel like you are on
fire. I have had the feeling several times and it was
the greatest sort of euphoria. For me, living on fire
means embodying your passions, sharing your
vision, and living your dream. If you wake up on too
many consecutive days wondering why you are doing
what you are doing then you are not living on fire.
On the other hand, if you can say that you wouldn’t
“The most powerful weapon on earth is the
have it any other way you are likely living on fire. human soul on fire”
– Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch
16. Achieve Balance
Finding the correct balance of activities is essential
to living an entrepreneurial lifestyle. Take the time
to celebrate success, enjoy the moment, and be with
friends. Avoid burnout by giving your most precious
muscle, your brain, proper rest. Avoid spreading
yourself too thin by being selective and deliberate in
what opportunities you choose to pursue.
17. Build your Community
While we may all be in our own game, that doesn’t
mean we aren’t playing with others. Build your
community and fill it with the people you want to
spend time with. Make time for your family and
make an extra effort to be a good friend. It has been
said that you will be the average of the 5 people you
spend the most time with, so pick the right people.
18. Be a Traveler
Travelling has been the single best way for me to
come up with new ideas. The new viewpoints and
scenery that you come across while traveling can
spark massive creativity and personal growth.
Travelers experience new cultures and conquer new
challenges much in the same way an entrepreneur
does.
19. Communicate Effectively
Communication is a two way street. Be perceptive to
how other perceive you and how you communicate
with them. Tailor your communication style to your
audience. Understand the different communication
styles of men and women and leverage them to
become a better communicator. Be conscientious of
other people’s feelings. Do not say anything to
rebuke others.
“When dealing with people, remember you
are not dealing with creatures of logic, but
creatures of emotion.”
– Dale Carnegie
20. Know your Story
You must absolutely have an answer to the question
“ Tell me about yourself.” Know your story and how
to tell it. Being interesting is the first step to getting
people to take interest in you and what you do.
Stories are also very powerful ways that we connect
with others.
21. Train Like an Athlete
Entrepreneurship is a full contact sport. I find that I
am at my most productive when my mind and body
are actively in training with a goal in mind. Getting
exercise 3 days a week is a must to maintain healthy
baseline. You can also train your brain to read faster,
remember more, and process information faster.
Proper training can make a huge difference.
22. Silence the Voice of Judgment
The Voice of Judgment (VOJ)is that little voice in the
back of your head that tells you that you aren’t good
enough and that people will laugh at you. Its sole
purpose is to limit you. The VOJ will kill your
dreams if you let it. Defeat you VOJ by accepting that
failure and embarrassment are simply outcomes and
nothing to be feared. Do not listen to other people
who have been infected by their VOJ. They only want
to see you cowed by the VOJ in the same way they
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself-
have been. -nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror
which paralyzes needed efforts to convert
retreat into advance.”
– Franklin Roosevelt
23. Trust your Gut
At the end of the day, creativity and
entrepreneurship are both difficult pursuits. They
are emotional, technical, and multi-faceted. The
surest way to make sure you are on the right path is
to trust your gut. Let your intuition guide you to the
right course of action.
“And most important, have the courage to
follow your heart and intuition. They
somehow already know what you truly
want to become. Everything else is
secondary.”
– Steve Jobs
