Skip to main content
start: mark evans

One of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs is trying to figure out what to do after they have been successful.

It's one thing to build a business. It's quite another for it to become so much everything you wanted it to be that someone pays you a lot of money to take it off your hands.

But after the cheque has landed in your bank account, what then?

Sure, you could retire to the Bahamas, work on your tan and play golf.

But entrepreneurs tend to be a different breed.

Rather than sitting back with their riches - or licking their wounds - most entrepreneurs want to get back into the game, win or loss, rather than sit on the sidelines.

Given this pattern, it will be interesting to see what Twitter co-founder Evan Williams does going forward.

Mr. Williams, who gave up his position as Twitter's chief executive officer a few months ago, said last week that he will now be spending far less time at the company so that he can focus on new projects.

Mr. Williams' departure from Twitter comes after five years, during which the company has gone from side project to 200 million users around the world.

Like many founders, Mr. Williams saw his role change as Twitter grew. Eventually, many entrepreneurs find there isn't a major role for them to play, so it becomes time to move on.

The key issue for them is what happens after they have poured their hearts and souls into growing a business from scratch.

Some entrepreneurs consider it liberating because it gives them time to refresh their batteries until the next great opportunity comes along. Some entrepreneurs plan to enjoy the fruits of success, only to discover that sitting around isn't in their DNA.

Mr. Williams seems fine with the decision to walk away from Twitter, although he will stay on the board. While he hasn't provided details of what's next, it appears something is in the works.

"….now that Twitter is in capable hands that aren't mine, it's time to pick up a whiteboard marker and think fresh," he wrote in a recent post on his blog.

"There are other problems/opportunities in the world that need attention, and there are other individuals I'd love to get the opportunity to work with and learn from. (Details to come.)

"While I doubt I'll get so lucky a third time, as my good friend Biz Stone likes to say, 'Creativity is a renewable resource' Let's see what happens."

No wonder he is already working on his next act. It's the entrepreneurial thing to do.

Special to The Globe and Mail

Mark Evans is a principal with ME Consulting, a content and social media strategic and tactical consultancy that creates and delivers 'stories' for companies looking to capture the attention of customers, bloggers, the media, business partners, employees and investors. Mark has worked with three start-ups - Blanketware, b5Media and PlanetEye - so he understands how they operate and what they need to do to be successful. He was a technology reporter for more than a decade with The Globe and Mail, Bloomberg News and the Financial Post. Mark is also one of the co-organizers of the mesh, meshUniversity and meshmarketing conferences.

Interact with The Globe