Article wrote by Sénamé

Tony Parker’s Business Journey: A Case for the Pseudo-True Entrepreneur Framework

A few days ago, I listened to an episode of "Secrets d’info" on France Inter Radio titled “Du basket aux affaires, la reconversion contrastée de Tony Parker.” The show analyzed Parker’s entrepreneurial ventures, highlighting the challenges and criticisms he has faced since transitioning from basketball to business. As I followed the discussion, I noticed something: while the show focused on his struggles, it missed a crucial point.The real issue is not that Tony Parker is a bad entrepreneur, as some critics implied, but rather that he is navigating a phase that many talented individuals experience when entering the business world. This phase is what I call the Pseudo-True Entrepreneur stage—a stage where ambition, creativity, and drive exist, but the critical skill of surrounding oneself with the right people is lacking. Instead of simply joining the critics, I want to use this article to explore how this framework helps explain his business journey constructively. (For those interested, you can listen to the original podcast episode here.) What Is a Pseudo-True Entrepreneur? A Pseudo-True Entrepreneur is not a bad entrepreneur—far from it. This type of entrepreneur possesses initiative, boldness, and vision but struggles to build a truly self-sustaining business due to one missing piece: the right people. The key traits of a Pseudo-True Entrepreneur include:✅ Creative and resourceful – they generate ideas and pursue opportunities.✅ Driven and proactive – they take action rather than waiting for things to happen.❌ Struggles with delegation – they either trust the wrong people or try to do too much alone.❌ Lacks a strong, reliable team – they haven’t mastered the art of selecting, developing, and retaining the right talent. This is not a permanent state, but rather a learning phase—one that many high achievers, including Tony Parker, go through. Why Tony Parker Fits This Framework 1. Creativity and Initiative? Yes. But Strategic Team-Building? Missing. Parker’s creativity in business is evident. He’s taken bold initiatives, investing in sports, media, and other ventures. He has the mindset of an entrepreneur—he doesn’t wait for opportunities; he creates them. But initiative alone doesn’t build a successful business. The most successful entrepreneurs understand that choosing the right people is as crucial as choosing the right business moves. 2. From the Basketball Court to the Boardroom: A Different Game Parker mastered teamwork on the basketball court. He worked under great coaches, surrounded himself with elite teammates, and trusted a system. However, business is not sports. In basketball: The team is built for you. Scouts, coaches, and managers assemble the right mix of talent. Your role is clear. You focus on performance while others handle recruitment and strategy. In business, the entrepreneur is the coach, the recruiter, and the strategist. If Parker had applied the same strategic team-building principles from basketball to business, his journey might have been smoother. 3. The Missing Piece: Surrounding Himself with the Right People The podcast criticized his business decisions, but it overlooked the real issue—his difficulty in assembling the right team. Many ex-athletes, celebrities, and professionals fall…

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The Rise of Pseudo-Productivity: How AI is Accelerating the Illusion of Work

In today’s hyper-connected world, productivity has become a badge of honor. Workers pride themselves on responding to emails in minutes, attending back-to-back meetings, and juggling multiple projects at once. But is this real productivity? Or is it merely the illusion of work—what Cal Newport calls pseudo-productivity? Pseudo-productivity is the trap of looking busy without achieving meaningful results. With the rise of AI, this phenomenon is not only continuing but accelerating at an unprecedented pace. In this article, we’ll explore the origins of pseudo-productivity, how AI is amplifying the illusion, and the dangerous parallels with the pseudo-true entrepreneur. The Origins of Pseudo-Productivity: When Did It Begin? Productivity wasn’t always so intangible. In the industrial era, productivity was measured by physical output—how many cars were assembled or how many garments were produced. But with the rise of the knowledge economy, work shifted to emails, documents, meetings, and strategy sessions—intangible outputs that are difficult to measure. The digital revolution in the late 20th century brought email, instant messaging, and open offices, increasing the demand for constant responsiveness. Instead of focusing on deep, high-value work, employees became caught in a cycle of shallow tasks, mistaking activity for accomplishment. Technology, meant to boost productivity, ironically became a source of distraction. Workers felt pressure to be seen working, prioritizing visibility over impact. Then came AI. And with it, pseudo-productivity took on an entirely new dimension. How AI is Supercharging the Illusion of Productivity AI is a game-changer for efficiency, but it is also a double-edged sword. It automates many tasks—but not all automation is useful. Here’s how AI is amplifying pseudo-productivity: More Work, Not Better Work: AI can draft emails, generate reports, and schedule meetings instantly. This makes it easier than ever to produce more output—but does that output translate to real value? A worker who once wrote five reports per week can now generate ten using AI. But are these reports actually being used, or are they just feeding the illusion of work? The Flood of Low-Value Content: AI-generated text, presentations, and emails create an endless stream of content that clogs inboxes and meetings. Companies may seem more productive, but in reality, they’re drowning in information. The Acceleration of Task Switching: AI tools allow workers to jump between tasks more quickly, but multitasking is a myth—rapid switching between tasks reduces deep focus and creativity. A New Layer of Digital Noise: AI-driven chatbots, automated emails, and instant AI-generated replies contribute to a constant flow of interruptions, preventing workers from engaging in focused work. The Illusion of Intelligence: AI can simulate thinking but does not replace human strategy and creativity. Companies relying on AI to make decisions may be mistaking automation for progress. The end result? A workforce caught in an AI-driven busyness trap, where the sheer volume of output is mistaken for true progress. The Pseudo-True Entrepreneur: The Business Version of Pseudo-Productivity This pattern isn’t limited to employees. The same illusion of motion without real progress plagues the world of entrepreneurship. Enter the pseudo-true entrepreneur—someone who…

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How Sustainable Business Initiatives Drive Unemployment Down

What if we invest in building a sustainable business that drives unemployment down? Imagine a society where only 1 out of 100 children survives past the age of 15. Such a scenario would spell the end of humanity's long-term survival. Similarly, the current trend of short-lived businesses threatens economic growth. Startling statistics reveal that only 1% of companies endure beyond 15 years, with a mere 20% reaching the 5-year milestone. This blog post explores the significance of sustaining businesses, addresses unemployment, and proposes a novel solution: recycling human capital through sustainable entrepreneurship. The number of businesses that started and existed over some time determines economic growth. If the companies do not exist over a long period, there is no chance of economic prosperity. Why is our society not doing enough to ensure that more than 1% of businesses survive for over 15 Years? Then, what happens to the people who have been working in these businesses? Where do they go? You are right. They become unemployed, and their skills become dormant, a significant loss to the labor market. My next concern was what we could do to end this menace and promote economic growth and prosperity. Then the thought of recycling human capital came into my mind. Today we recycle nearly everything: papers, computers, water, fabric, steel, glass, wood, food; you name it. Yet, we fail to help businesses survive over a more extended period. Isn’t that strange? What if we use the same idea to create sustainable businesses to run for more extended periods so that the employee's skills are not wasted but used over and over? Isn’t this the same as recycling? Sustaining a business over a more extended period is not easy; however, with the right mentorship and training, we can have real entrepreneurs to make this dream a reality. To achieve this dream, we have to fix the reasons causing these businesses to fail. How do we end unemployment in society? Unemployment is one of the biggest problems in society today. The journey to end unemployment starts with ensuring we have companies that can last for over 15 years. Achieving that will automatically take care of the population that loses jobs once a business collapses. Let’s have a look at the below assumption to be able to digest this better: Assuming 20% of startups fail because the business ideas were not viable in the first place, we still have 80% of businesses going past the 15 years mark. Let’s now imagine that these businesses can exist and prosper past the end of the careers of their creators. In other words, 80% achieve longevity and are self-running beyond their creators. Can you see the number of jobs each company will create over this period? Can you agree with me there are at least tens of jobs? If you multiply these by the number of small businesses in your area, you will notice that most of the population will be employed. These people stay employed as long as…

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A Guide for Entrepreneurs to Foster a Results-Driven Company Culture

The success of your business hinges on the prevailing company culture, especially one that is results-driven. Every business inherently possesses a culture, whether by design or happenstance. From my own experience, I've come to understand that establishing a results-driven company culture for entrepreneurs necessitates more than mere instruction or discussion; it requires a fundamental shift in the mindset and behaviors of individuals within the organization. Creating a culture requires systemic organizational changes transforming how people think and behave. In this article, I will share my discovery on developing and cultivating a culture of results to improve performance in your organization. The work environment greatly influences people. Company culture can make weak people highly productive, and the stronger lose their edge. It is the primary concern and responsibility of every business owner, manager, or executive to create a culture of results inside their company. Every employee makes and maintains this through disciplined adherence to ensure profitability and continuance of the company's operation. Getting the right people that can come together with unique business systems to create a culture of results through discipline, enthusiasm, and high productivity is not easy. The magic begins once you find the right team, and performance shoots up the roof.   ((Efficient People + Motivation) * Accountability) = Effective Team Results HIRE THE RIGHT BEST PEOPLE The only proven way of getting good results is to ensure you have the right people to drive your dream. No matter how good your ideas are, you'll have difficulty getting the expected deliverables if you don't have the right people to actualize them. "Those who build great companies understand that the ultimate throttle on growth for any great company is not markets, technology, competition, or products. It is one thing above all others: getting and keeping enough of the right people. GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON THE BUS FIRST, AND THE WRONG PEOPLE OFF THE BUS, THEN FIGURE OUT WHAT DIRECTION TO DRIVE THE COMPANY" – Jim Collins, Good to Great. Results depend on employee performance, which is why every business owner or manager should only hire Top performers. Top performers have a history of getting results and are unafraid of accountability and scorekeeping. They are self-confident, can apply past successes to new assignments, and are teachable and eager to learn. Top performers make good things happen, especially when their personal goals align with your company goals. Note that you always pay less cost for the Top performer as compared to what you pay for the Poor performer. The Poor performer comes with a hidden cost of lower performance, poor decisions, and costly mistakes, which in the long run, eclipse the cost of keeping the Top performer. It would be best if you always went for the Top performer for effective performance and results. Take Away:  Hire and empower goal-oriented people. To achieve better results, you must ensure the team understands why you created the system, how it works, and how it will benefit them. Enlist their knowledge, talents, energy,…

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How Business Owners Can Efficiently Master Time Management and Eliminate Complaints

Are you familiar with the constant lament about time being in short supply? A simple observation of daily life reveals an astonishing number of grievances centered around time. From the perennial complaint of insufficient time to the exasperated grumbling about excessive hours leading to sheer boredom – it's a narrative we've all encountered. But what if I told you that as a dynamic business owner, you possess the ability to rewrite this narrative? In this article, we will address these complaints head-on and equip you with invaluable time management tips tailored specifically to your entrepreneurial journey. Let's delve into the world of mastering time for entrepreneurs and discover how to make each moment count towards your business success. Why is it that we complain so much about time? In this article, I will be sharing practical observations about time that will help you put all time-related frustrations behind you and never complain about time again. “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” – William Penn The unfulfilled promise of time management training If you have been worried about time at a certain point in your life or career, then you have already done a course in time management. If not, you have at least done some research and read articles about time management on the Internet. Sometimes lessons learned from these courses or articles work when implemented, and sometimes they don't. More often than not, you will find yourself back on the drawing board with the same complaints like “I don't have time," "I am late," "I am under time pressure," or "I don't have enough time." This experience clearly explains that time management training is not the right solution to fix complaints about time. Shocking conclusion, isn’t it? I have completed several time management courses and read many books on the subject, yet I did not master time. Why do people often complain about not having time? Think about when you used the phrase "I didn't have time to…” ? Do you picture the moment? How did you feel? Think of a time when somebody told you, "I didn't have time to…." How did that sound to you? Credible? How did you feel then? In both cases, didn’t you have a vague feeling of something not being right? I used this sentence many times until I realized that when I said, “I didn't have time…”, I was giving an excuse for not doing what I needed. This realization was an eye-opener for me. I started observing when I used the phrase and when other people used it. I confirmed that in every case, it was just a mere excuse. Try it for yourself; think about any two moments described above when the phrase "I didn't have time" was used. Do you realize it was an excuse to cover for something else that was not easy to face? This excuse is so engraved in our minds that we find it normal and no longer question it.…

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