The idea of successful entrepreneurs as missionaries rather than mercenaries was conceived, like so many recent business ideas, in the glassy offices of Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers, the Silicon Valley venture capital firm. It was first presented to the wider world by Randy Komisar, a Kleiner partner, in his 2000 book, The Monk and The Riddle: The Art of Creating a Life While Making a Living.
The book describes a Komisar-like figure advising an over-caffeinated young entrepreneur who has the pitch deck and all the right fundraising language, but a terrible-sounding idea for an online coffin-selling business.
Slow down, says the mentor. Don’t focus on the money. Imagine the whole experience, the satisfaction of doing meaningful work, which is the real definition of success.