The Curse of Genius: A Candid Take from the Trenches of Entrepreneurship
Hey there, folks, Tony Scelzo here with a pinch of no-nonsense flavor, and today we’re diving deep into what I like to call “The Curse of Genius.” It’s a common disease, spreading through the minds of the smartest people—the movers, the shakers, the doers, the thinkers. You know, the type who solve problems faster, cheaper, and with more flair than anyone else. But here’s the kicker: This genius often fools you into thinking you’re an expert at everything. Ridiculous, right?
Let’s break it down, shall we? Imagine you’re a genius. You’ve got a brilliant idea, and bam, you’re in the door. But here comes the tricky part. There are other doors—doors like getting funding, mastering marketing, or navigating the brutal world of strategic partnerships. And guess what? Just because you waltzed through the first door with your genius doesn’t mean you’ve got an all-access pass.
I see it all the time. Smart, well-read individuals trying to apply their specialized knowledge to areas where they’re frankly, novices. It’s like, okay, you’ve spent 20,000 hours becoming a genius in one field, and suddenly you think that’s a free ticket to every show in town? Come on, give me a break. That’s not just optimistic; it’s borderline delusional. 
1 of 5 businesses survive 5 years and 1 of those make it the next 5. 60 percent of businesses are excited involuntarily. So you have to be a little bit unreasonable to go out on your own and start your own thing. 1/5 of business owners are so disconnected from reality that they could be categorized as a sociopath. Lol They don’t go out and kill any body but they don’t see their interconnectivity either w/ others; It makes they ok pursuing tunnel vision goals and succeeding or not but it keeps them blind too.
Now, let’s talk about how these geniuses respond when they hit a snag. It’s always some version of, “In my experience, this doesn’t work.” Please. That’s like saying you tried push-ups once and didn’t turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger overnight. Or you switched to a protein diet for a day and didn’t see the scale budge. It’s absurd but its that tunnel vision world showing up thinking that their business and their target market and their world is different from the entire other world and other experiences which means they think they need to experience it alone.
Why do these really smart people not listen to other really smart people who have the hours, the scars, the real-deal experience in things they know squat about? It’s stubbornness, folks. The same stubbornness that makes them resilient enough to survive entrepreneurism stops them from receiving the help they need. Starting a business is a gamble—only one out of five survive the first five years. And from those, another tiny fraction make it another five. The odds are brutal, and yet, these lone wolves think they can go it alone.
Here’s the thing: it takes a village to raise a child and a whole damn city to raise a company. Going solo is like putting a target on your back in a forest filled with predators.
The most critical piece of advice I can give? Adopt a childlike view of knowledge. You don’t know what you don’t know. You can’t claim to understand how to be a billionaire until you’ve been one, right? This mindset opens you up to learning, to absorbing wisdom from those who’ve actually walked the path.
So, folks, whether you’re starting a business or trying to scale one, remember: your experiences, emotions, and even your wounds can blind you to the lessons that are right there in front of you. Don’t let the curse of genius be your downfall. Stay humble, stay open, and for heaven’s sake, listen to the people who’ve been where you’re trying to go.
That’s it from me today. Stay sharp, stay sane, and remember, nobody likes a know-it-all, especially when they really don’t know it all.