David Constantine on why entrepreneurs should remain adaptable

What advice would you give to a first-time entrepreneur with a powerful idea?

Adaptability is critical to entrepreneurship. You put all of your passion, your blood, sweat and tears into this idea and it’s yours. All entrepreneurs feel this way, but the successful ones realize that they have to let go. It is a virtual certainty that your original vision will change — in some cases dramatically. When you bring on co-founders, mentors, employees, or any other influencing individual, it is in your best interest to give some ownership of the vision to those you involve as it provides the most powerful motivation to succeed. As a result, the vision will shift, factors previously unseen will come to light, and you have to let that happen.

Adaptability is critical. Decisions must be made quickly and with the understanding that they may have to be altered very shortly thereafter. Many great success stories have altered their strategy and tactics dramatically to be successful. EMC, for example, was reportedly launched as an office-furniture company, then shifted more into manufacturing and now (most notably) provides data storage and security solutions. Quite an adjustment. Not all changes you experience have to be that dramatic, but the key is to be comfortable in flux. So, release your grip and watch your business grow.

David Constantine is the Founder and COO of MassChallenge.