What’s a Feral Entrepreneur? Are you one too?
It took me 40 years and 7 startups to figure out what I am. If this is you too, join us!
Living the Dream
I’m a Feral Entrepreneur. As of this writing I’m 62, living in Hawaii since the 80s, and man, I’m living the dream—more than that, a life most folks don’t even dream about. Seven startups, ups and downs, and it took me all that—40 years—to figure out who I am. The word “feral entrepreneur” popped into my head one day, and bam, it stuck. I’m here to unpack it, and help you figure out if you’re one too. Stick with me; this is where it starts.
Wrestling with Who I Am
It hit me when I decided to write a book of memoirs—stories from my entrepreneurial ride, you know, like landing CyberCom (Slaying the Fear Dragons) or scraping by (Down to My Last Dollar). I’m researching the mechanics and structure that goes into an online memoir collection, and I come to the point where I need to decide on a category—business, sure, entrepreneuring, maybe—but I’m stumped. I’m one of one, unique, nobody like me. I don’t have a category! I’m wrestling with it, brainstorming, and “feral entrepreneur” just pops up—huh, cool idea. I Google it—nothing, zip. One dead Instagram account, years stale, no action. I check domain names—feralentrepreneur.com’s wide open. I snag it, first owner, no buyout—true entrepreneuring, right? My wife hates it—which ironically is a good sign.
Grok Nails It
So, I’m hooked—is this who I am? I ask Grok, “What’s a feral entrepreneur?” The answer floors me—like it’s written about me. I read it out loud, choke up a bit—it’s me, oh my God, it’s me. A feral entrepreneur—scrappy, free, driven by instinct, thriving outside the rules. It fits every crazy leap I’ve taken—selling mood rings to Vulcans (The Day I Learned to Sell), coding Unix (Hammer and Nails), launching Hawaii’s web (From Nothing to Legend). I’m staring at my life in those words—seven startups, 40 years of grit—and I know it’s right.
You might feel it too—read that definition; see if it’s you.
What is a Feral Entrepreneur - According to Grok
A "feral entrepreneur" is a term often used to describe individuals who exhibit a rugged, independent approach to business and innovation. Here are some key characteristics:
Self-Reliance:
Feral entrepreneurs are highly independent, often bootstrapping their ventures without relying on external funding or traditional business structures. They thrive on doing things their own way, outside conventional business environments.
Adaptability:
They are extremely flexible, able to pivot quickly in response to changing market conditions or personal circumstances. Their business strategies are often fluid, adapting to whatever resources or opportunities are at hand.
Survival Instinct:
Like their name suggests, they have a strong survival instinct. They're not deterred by failure or setbacks; instead, they use these as learning opportunities. Their resilience is key to their success in often harsh or competitive environments.
Resourcefulness:
With limited resources, they are exceptionally good at making do with what they have. This might mean using unconventional materials, methods, or markets. They excel at turning constraints into creative solutions.
Innovation Out of Necessity:
Their innovations often stem from necessity rather than a planned research and development process. They might invent or adapt technologies or business models because they see a need that isn't being met by existing solutions.
Disregard for Traditional Norms:
Feral entrepreneurs often operate outside or on the fringes of established business norms. They might not follow traditional paths like formal education in business or typical career trajectories in corporate settings. Their business practices might even bend or challenge legal and regulatory frameworks, though not always in unethical ways.
Niche Markets:
They frequently target or create niche markets where they can operate with less competition and more freedom. These markets might be small, overlooked by larger entities, or require specialized knowledge that the entrepreneur possesses.
Direct Engagement with Customers:
They tend to have a very personal relationship with their customers or clients, understanding their needs intimately because they often are part of the same community or share similar backgrounds and challenges.
Lack of Formal Structure:
Their businesses might lack the formal structures like detailed business plans, organizational charts, or standardized procedures. Instead, they might operate more like a craft or a lifestyle, with the business reflecting the personality and values of the entrepreneur.
Ethical Flexibility:
While not inherently unethical, their approach to business might involve more gray areas, especially in terms of regulations, intellectual property, or market competition. They might see these areas not as moral failings but as necessary navigation in a system designed for different types of businesses.
</endGrok>
Is this you?
Reading the above, what do you think? Is that you? Are you pinching yourself like I did? Read this out loud to someone important in your life and see if you choke up the way I did. And in case you’re wondering “but isn’t everyone else like that too?” no, my friend, they’re not like us:
Difference between Feral and traditional entrepreneurs - according to Grok
The concept of a "feral entrepreneur" differs from generally accepted entrepreneur categories—like the "traditional entrepreneur," "serial entrepreneur," "social entrepreneur," or "tech entrepreneur"—in several distinct ways. While mainstream categories often emphasize structured approaches, scalability, or specific motivations (e.g., profit, social good, or innovation), the feral entrepreneur stands apart due to their rugged individualism, unconventional methods, and rejection of traditional business frameworks. Let’s break this down by comparing key traits:
1. Independence and Funding
Feral Entrepreneur: Emphasizes extreme self-reliance, often bootstrapping ventures with personal resources or whatever is available. They avoid or distrust external funding like venture capital or loans, viewing it as a loss of control.
Traditional Categories: Many entrepreneurs (e.g., tech or serial entrepreneurs) actively seek investment to scale quickly. Even social entrepreneurs often rely on grants or partnerships. The feral approach contrasts with this dependence on external systems or validation.
2. Approach to Structure
Feral Entrepreneur: Operates with minimal formal structure—no business plans, no org charts, and a disdain for corporate polish. Their business often mirrors their personality or lifestyle, resembling a craft more than a company.
Traditional Categories: Most entrepreneurs, even small business owners, adopt some level of formal planning or structure (e.g., business models, pitches, or teams). Tech entrepreneurs, for instance, often build scalable systems, while feral entrepreneurs prioritize organic, ad-hoc growth.
3. Adaptability and Innovation
Feral Entrepreneur: Adapts fluidly out of necessity, innovating reactively to immediate needs or constraints rather than through deliberate R&D. Their creativity thrives in resource-scarce environments.
Traditional Categories: Innovation is often proactive and systematic—think of tech entrepreneurs with R&D teams or social entrepreneurs piloting structured solutions. Feral entrepreneurs’ adaptability is more survival-driven than strategically planned.
4. Attitude Toward Norms
Feral Entrepreneur: Rejects or skirts traditional business norms, sometimes bending legal or regulatory lines (though not necessarily unethically). They operate on the fringes, prioritizing their own rules.
Traditional Categories: Most entrepreneurs work within or adapt to societal and industry norms. Serial entrepreneurs might exploit systems cleverly, but they rarely reject them outright. Social entrepreneurs often align with ethical or regulatory frameworks to gain legitimacy.
5. Market Focus
Feral Entrepreneur: Targets niche, overlooked, or hyper-local markets where they can dominate with specialized knowledge or less competition. Their ventures often stay small but impactful.
Traditional Categories: Many entrepreneurs aim for broad markets or scalability (e.g., tech entrepreneurs chasing global users or serial entrepreneurs building sellable businesses). Social entrepreneurs might focus on underserved groups, but their goal is often systemic change, not niche dominance.
6. Customer Relationships
Feral Entrepreneur: Builds direct, personal connections with customers, often rooted in shared experiences or community ties. This intimacy drives their business decisions.
Traditional Categories: While some entrepreneurs (e.g., small business owners) value customer relationships, others (e.g., tech or corporate entrepreneurs) rely on marketing teams or platforms to scale interactions, prioritizing efficiency over personal engagement.
7. Resilience and Motivation
Feral Entrepreneur: Driven by a survival instinct, they see setbacks as fuel for resilience. Their motivation is often tied to personal freedom or necessity rather than fame or wealth.
Traditional Categories: Resilience is common across entrepreneurs, but motivations differ—profit (traditional/serial), innovation (tech), or impact (social). Feral entrepreneurs’ gritty, do-or-die mindset sets them apart from those with more polished or idealistic goals.
8. Ethical and Legal Stance
Feral Entrepreneur: Operates in ethical gray areas, not out of malice but because they view rigid systems as misaligned with their reality. They might repurpose ideas or skirt red tape to survive.
Traditional Categories: Most entrepreneurs adhere to legal and ethical norms to maintain credibility, attract investment, or achieve scale. Even disruptors like tech entrepreneurs typically innovate within boundaries, unlike the feral tendency to challenge or ignore them.
How It Differs Overall
The feral entrepreneur is like a wild outlier compared to the generally accepted categories. Traditional entrepreneurs (e.g., small business owners) seek stability, serial entrepreneurs chase multiple ventures for profit or legacy, tech entrepreneurs innovate for scale, and social entrepreneurs prioritize societal good—all within recognizable frameworks. The feral entrepreneur, however, is defined by their rejection of these frameworks, thriving in chaos, scarcity, or isolation. They’re less about building empires or changing the world systematically and more about carving out a fiercely independent existence, often on the edges of society or industry.
Think of them as the entrepreneurial equivalent of a feral animal—untamed, resourceful, and surviving on their own terms, contrasting with the domesticated or strategically bred approaches of their peers. While they share traits like resilience and creativity with other entrepreneurs, their rugged, norm-defying nature makes them a breed apart.
</endGrok>
Sharing the Wisdom
Now I’ve got all this—40 years, seven startups, so many mistakes, so many wins—and I’m not taking it to the grave. I’m spilling it here, memoirs packed with wisdom for you. It’s stories, not lectures—each one’s got a lesson, but you pull out what hits you. That’s the beauty: same story, different takeaways. I’ll flag the feral angle—what I learned—like mastering time (Time’s a Beast) or seeing the web’s future (Seeing the Light of the Web). It’s my discovery too—who I am, who we are as feral entrepreneurs. I’m laying it out, raw and real, ‘cause I’ve messed up plenty and won big too.
Building a Tribe For Us To Join
Here’s the kicker—I’m inviting you in. Join us, help define this feral entrepreneur thing. What is it? I want a community—your questions, feedback, takeaways. Share your stories—I’d love to hear ‘em, and so would everyone. If I’m off, tell me with a story you’ve lived, not just arguing. I’m up for a rumble, you know, but let’s make it useful. My dream? Countless feral entrepreneurs, peer-to-peer, helping each other grow, figuring out who we are, becoming a force. We owe it to ourselves—to live the dream, to be reckoned with. Aloha and e komo mai—this is your home!