In this motivational talk, Akeel Jabbar – an investment director at Horizon Capital and veteran entrepreneur – argues that the single most important characteristic separating successful entrepreneurs from mediocre ones is grit. He explains that while many aspiring founders focus on credentials, resources, or education, the ability to work relentlessly, tolerate failure, and keep pushing despite setbacks is what ultimately drives results. Drawing on his 15‑plus years of experience and observations of portfolio CEOs, he illustrates how grit outperforms any MBA or financial backing. He shares a personal anecdote of launching a startup while still a university student, emphasizing that consistent, hard‑working effort beats excuses. The video concludes with a direct call‑to‑action, urging viewers to assess their willingness to hustle, start building today, and engage in the comments for feedback.
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I believe everybody can be an entrepreneur. I actually believe everybody should be an entrepreneur, but what makes the difference between a successful entrepreneur and a mediocre entrepreneur is exactly what I'm gonna talk about today. It comes down to one key trait that makes the biggest difference when it comes to starting your entrepreneurial journey. Hey guys, welcome back to another video of SaaS District. My name is Akeel Jabbar. I'm the investment director and GP at Horizon Capital, where we invest and grow SaaS companies all across the world. And we work with entrepreneurs on a daily basis across all of our portfolio companies. I've been an entrepreneur ever since I was— I can't even remember the last time— over 15 years. And I got to see and work with all kinds of entrepreneurs to understand what makes a great entrepreneur and what makes a mediocre entrepreneur. Now everybody wants to be an entrepreneur. They love the idea of it, right? You can, you know, be your own boss, you can work anywhere you want, you can build your own company as exactly as you like. Your income potential is unlimited when it comes to building your own company. But being an entrepreneur is not all fun and games. It comes with a lot of risk, a lot of late nights, a lot of hard work, and a lot of effort. And at the end of it, you can still fail at building your company. But what I wanna talk about today is make sure before you take that step of being an entrepreneur, that you have the right traits and the right capabilities to make sure you guys are successful. So when I worked with, you know, different entrepreneurs, uh, for example, at a portfolio, with a portfolio, I got to notice what's how the CEOs, uh, the ones who did really well versus the ones who did, you know, poorly. And, you know, a lot of them had, you know, MBAs, they had, you know, all the right experience, they had the right background, they had, you know, everything on paper seemed perfect. But when it came down to it to actually execute and, you know, deliver results, you know, we saw something completely different. And, and that was what, you know, there's some kind of key trait that I noticed between the good ones and then the ones that didn't do as well. And that one thing, the biggest thing that made the difference was, you know, I think the word is used is called grit. And that's, you know, the hard work, the hustle. How hard are you willing to work? How long are you willing to work? How much are you willing to fail to be able to succeed? And I think that's what makes the difference is The people who are willing to fail, willing to have their ego tested on a daily basis, who are willing to get rejected on a daily basis, who are willing to get punched in the face— not literally— on a daily basis, but still get back up and get back in the ring and continue to focus, believe in themselves, and know that they'll be able to figure it out and grow their company. So you might have a lot of excuses in your mind right now. You know, I don't have enough money, I don't have enough time. I don't have the right resource, I don't have the right background, I grew up poor, or, you know, I don't have a bunch of savings, and, you know, it's unfair for other people to have that. But, you know, I've seen both cases. It doesn't matter if you're willing to put in the effort, the grit, willing to learn and develop yourself. Over time, you'll be able— you'll see the results faster than somebody who has all the resources, all the money in the world, and just isn't putting the effort and the hustle to be able to grow the money. Because then there's nothing out there that can replace that, that only you can do yourself. So So if you're thinking to become an entrepreneur, ask yourself that one question. How hard am I willing to work at this? How long am I willing to work at this? How much time can I put on this? Evenings, weekends, get up early, in between breaks. That's what I used to do. When my first— I used to be in university. I had— I started a company then. In between classes, in between, you know, after work, after hours, I was getting on calls, sending emails. I was hiring people, talking to people. It didn't matter. I didn't take that excuse that I was only a student. Right. I was only, you know, 20-something years old. I didn't have any money in my account. I didn't let any of those excuses stop me. I just continued to focus, go in day after day, and just continue to hustle and put in the work. And I think that's all it takes. If you continue to put the same effort, be patient, if you're able to be consistent in your execution, your probability of you succeeding is a lot higher than anybody else out there. That's it, guys. It sounds so simple, but that's exactly what it takes. The key trait that it takes to be a successful entrepreneur Believe in yourself, and if you're— and if you think you have that, I recommend you guys get started today. Start building what you've always wanted to build, and I wish you guys luck on your entrepreneurial journey. If you guys like this video, make sure to subscribe, like the video, and comment below. When are you guys gonna start building your company? Let me know what your business is all about. Tell me in the comments below. I'd love to give you guys feedback and help you guys get through it. All right, thanks guys, and see you guys on the next video.
