The importance of being 'real'

Over the holidays, I was teasing my 18 year old sister-in-law about how she's not a normal teenager. Think of the stereotypical spoiled 18 year old depicted in the media and Nathalie is her polar opposite.

She responded in her typical nonchalant fashion : 'Me, I'm real'. I initially laughed it off, and then it got me thinking. What is being 'real' ? The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was a crucial question entrepreneurs have to answer before they begin to think of of the technology or the product they want to create. My business is the reflection of me - might as well know who that 'me' is...

It goes to the core of my being, my values, my dreams. It's what we call 'integrity'.

So how do we figure out what's important to us ? The answers are wide and varied. So I will propose a series of questions entrepreneurs need to answer in order to figure who their 'real' persona is. It is by no means complete, but it gives you a general portrait. When answering these questions, try being honest, authentic and ... ummm ... don't censor anything ;)

Your values
- Name 3 traits you would like to pass on to your kids
- Complete this sentence : Give me ... or give me death
- Complete this sentence : Life, liberty and the pursuit of ...
- Describe yourself in just one word
- Who do you admire most (living or dead) and why ?
- Your 2 biggest strengths are ...

Your environment
- Name the 2 most important people in your life and one word to describe each person
- Name the 2 qualities you look for in a life partner

Your dreams
- Name the 3 greatest moments of your life
- Name the 3 things you love to do
- Name the 3 things you would like to do before you die
- If you had to start your own country, the slogan would be 'In ... we trust'
- If you had 2 rules you would want the world to follow, they would be ...
- If you could start an organization to solve a world problem, what would the 'world problem' be ?

Your world
- If you could teach 3 things to the world about what EXCITES you about it, what would those 3 things be ?
- If you could change 3 things that ANGER you about the world, what would those 3 things be ?

Finding a good idea : X$
Starting a company and growing it based on this idea : Y $
Making a profit : Z $

Figuring out who you really are : priceless