Why 'Bite Me' Is the Best Response to Naysayers

This story appears in the September 2015 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

This month is a big deal in the magazine world. Like the fashion glossies, our September issue is hugely popular among our readers (and advertisers). But our September issue isn’t about skirt lengths—it’s a look at the apex of success, ideas and what it really means to make it. 

So, we’re not a fashion magazine, but we do have this highly chic issue about young millionaires. (By the way, the name of this annual feature needs a do-over. It cheapens the subjects’ stories, which, frankly, have a richness that transcends the “millionaire” label. Check back next year.)

What I love about the four profiles in this year’s feature is that, although they are unrelated, they have a common thread: finding the waypoints that can guide one to success, developing the laser-like focus that leads one there and embracing the magic that happens along the way.

When I was growing up, my family took a lot of road trips -- all over the place, but mostly to New Mexico, since it was close to Texas, where we lived. We experienced dormant volcanoes, colorful pueblos, churches that had healing powers and other stuff that, when you’re 9, makes you think anything is possible -- even magic. 

I still believe that. Mostly because you have taught me that anything, anything is possible. Anyone can be an accidental tourist and still find their way. 

I like to think of myself as one of those people. As a magazine editor, when I chose to live in Colorado, I faced resistance, to say the least. No one in national media lives in Colorado. No one. Dude. This is unheard of, and you, Miss Cosper, are an upstart. Who do you think you are? Stop trying to be a cowboy and start trying to be a New Yorker. 

My response? As many of you have taught me to say and perfect over time: Bite me. 

Anyone who tells you that your dream is impossible is a complete and total ass. A naysayer and quite possibly (deep breath) a bureaucrat. What’s more: These judgmental, stagnant thoughts are not remotely entrepreneurial.

Change is what we are about. Change is what drives us from here to there. It is not to be feared but, rather, embraced. It is the gateway to disruption. And that, my friends, is why we exist.

Welcome to the entrepreneur economy. Anyone can do anything from anywhere. And to those who disagree: Get yourself a damn map of what’s going on in this country. 

This is your journey. Every day that you wake up as an entrepreneur, you decide where you want to go. You pick the direction. You lead the way. And most important, you discover new pathways—from elevator to exit. The waypoints you visit are essential to determining where you want to go and what you want to leave behind. 

Within the pages of this issue, you’ll learn about success, entrances and exits and, of course, the challenges of this path you’ve decided to take. It’s not an easy one. The route can change along the way (and probably should). Because it’s not always about being a millionaire. Sometimes it’s simply about doing the thing you love.