Thrynn wrote:
] And therin lies the problem. People who start and/or run
] businesses end up getting consumed by ambition and ego. Their
] businesses end up failing, or failing to meet the full
] potential becuase that person refuses to make an organization
] that can function without him or her.

Ambition can be a good thing, but ego, I think, is only useful to the extent that people tend to follow egos. Don't beleive your own schtick.

I've seen what you are talking about a lot. I call it the lifestyle trap. People start a business. It works. They grow a little. They grow out of the stuggling to eat phase and reach a point where:

There are a number of people working for the company.
The company has healthy cash flow.
You can pay yourself a good salary.
You are the man in charge. You can do what you want.

At this point, the companies stop growing. Because the CEO has everything that he or she wants. Self reliance, power, and a comfortable lifestyle. These companies don't go anywhere because the CEO isn't really interested in fullfilling anything other then his or her own personal needs.

The company becomes a lifestyle company. It exists to provide the CEO with a particular lifestyle.

CEOs of lifestyle companies never really know that they are doing this. At least not that I've seen, and this seems to be a pretty common theme.

RE: The founder of Visa on Corporations