Entrepreneurship is hard—but maybe it doesn't have to be. The Factor-Y Ltd has introduced Company-Building-as-a-Service (CBaaS), a bold new model that redefines how startups get built. Instead of struggling with hiring, fundraising, and infrastructure, founders using CBaaS can focus entirely on developing their innovation. Everything else—from finance to operations—is handled centrally. Unlike accelerators and incubators, CBaaS offers full-lifecycle support across industries and regions, and it’s already been piloted in 22 countries with over 200 universities and 10 government agencies. The model reduces the risk of failure while accelerating time-to-market—a game changer for global entrepreneurship. Founder Philipp Assmus puts it plainly: “CBaaS removes the unnecessary obstacles so innovators can focus on what they do best—solving real problems.”
Resilience: The Foundational Skill Every Entrepreneur Needs
Resilience: The Foundational Skill Every Entrepreneur Needs
“Entrepreneurship is about experimentation: the probabilities of success are low, extremely skewed, and unknowable until an investment is made.”
After more than a decade of building ventures across Asia, I can say with full conviction: this is the most honest statement I’ve ever heard about entrepreneurship.
It’s not a comfortable truth. But it’s the truth: Not everyone is built to be an entrepreneur.
It’s Not About the Idea — It’s About the Bounce Back
The defining trait that separates those who make it from those who don’t isn’t brilliance, funding, or even having a world-changing idea. It’s resilience — your ability to recover from failure and keep moving forward.
When I co-founded ATEC back in 2016, we had a big vision: clean cooking tech that could dramatically reduce indoor air pollution, raise household incomes, and help fight climate change.
The potential was enormous. The reality? Much harder. In Cambodia, we faced skeptical customers, fragmented logistics, and moments where it felt like nothing would work.
Those were the first of many inflection points: quit, or adapt. We chose to listen more deeply to our customers, refine the model, and push forward — one step at a time.
Resilience Is a Repeating Test
That first battle wasn’t the last. A decade later, with $10M+ raised and over 100,000 lives impacted, I still get tested — maybe more now than ever.
When we expanded into Bangladesh in late 2019, we thought we had most of the hard lessons behind us. Instead, we faced a new wave of challenges:
regulatory surprises
partner commitments that didn’t hold
and a distribution model that didn’t translate well across borders
Then COVID-19 hit.
Once again, we had to make a choice: fold, or find another way. And once again, resilience was the difference. (Also — the golden startup rule of hiring the best damn person as your first hire helped, too.)
Are You Built for This?
Some people face their first real obstacle and realize this path isn’t for them — and that’s perfectly okay. We need all kinds of people to make a society thrive.
But if you're someone who:
gets knocked down
admits where you went wrong
and feels compelled to try again
— then you're likely an entrepreneur at heart.
You can be born with that instinct, or you can develop it. But there’s only one way to know for sure: jump into the void, fail, and see how you respond.
If you survive that first storm — welcome to the path.
Just don’t get fooled by the glorified success stories. Real entrepreneurship doesn’t feel like glory. It feels like grit. It hurts. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
Clint Day is a former serial entrepreneur (insurance agencies) who turned to teaching others how to start their own business after earning a MBA and five certificates in entrepreneurship. He started the entrepreneurship program at State College of Florida, help found the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program, wrote the Entrepreneurship Quick Study Guide found in most college bookstore, edits the Current in Entrepreneurship blog on the setyourownsalary.com business startup website, and is currently serving as advisor to the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University veterans entrepreneurship and Notre Dame Hawaii UPBI programs.
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Why You’re Not Getting Things Done—And How to Fix It
Ever End a Workday Wondering What You Actually Got Done? You’re not alone—and here’s how to fix it. Have you ever driven home from work feeling drained but unsure what you actually accomplished? Or reached Friday with a to-do list that looks eerily similar to Monday’s? Maybe you’ve set a meaningful goal but struggled to make real progress. We’ve all been there. At some point, everyone wishes they could be more focused, more organized, and more productive. Because let’s face it—we all have work we want to complete and goals we want to reach. So how do we move from busy to effective? Here are 7 tried-and-true productivity tips that can help—at work, at home, or anywhere in life.
From a B- to a Booming Brand: How One Teen's “Unrealistic” Idea Became a $5M Business
In a Missouri classroom just a couple of years ago, 18-year-old Drew Davis turned in a school business assignment — a hot sauce brand idea called Crippling Hot Sauce. He was confident. Passionate. Ready for an A. He got a B-. His teacher told him the concept was “good,” but “unrealistic.” Fast-forward to today, and that “unrealistic” idea is on track to earn $5 million in revenue this year. This is more than a story about hot sauce. It’s a masterclass in resilience, humor, and mission-driven entrepreneurship — from someone most of the world would have underestimated. 🍽️ Hot Sauce, Humor, and Heart Drew lives with cerebral palsy and once weighed 300 pounds. At 14, doctors warned he’d be bedridden by 18 if he didn’t change course. So he did. He started moving, eating better — and using hot sauce to help turn things around. He lost 150 pounds in a year. That personal transformation sparked a passion. When a school project called for a business idea, he thought, “Why not combine my love for hot sauce with my self-deprecating humor?” And so Crippling Hot Sauce was born.