Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian: Don't Be Fooled by the Glamorous Trappings of Entrepreneurship

The fundamentals of building a business aren't always fun, but they're worth it.

learn more about Nina Zipkin

By Nina Zipkin

What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?

Onstage at the Entrepreneur360 conference in New York City, Reddit co-founder, author and investor Alexis Ohanian urged the audience not to mistake the glamorous idea of entrepreneurship for the actual daily grind that goes into running a successful business.

Related: Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian Reveals Hopes for New Site 'Upvoted' (VIDEO)

Ohanian emphasized the importance of not getting hung up on surface-level details, like designing business cards, when you could be focusing your efforts on the more substantive aspects of your business such as listening to your customers and providing them with a great product or service.

"Especially for an early stage company, it is vital that you are gut checking every decision you are making in terms of how you are going to be spending the day," he said.

To hear more from from Ohanian on making mistakes and the questions Reddit is tackling right now, check out the video above.

Nina Zipkin

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers leadership, media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

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