John Scarisbrick, the outgoing CEO of CSR, told me recently that for entrepreneurs after a certain point their involvement in the technology sector is no longer about the money. It is about keeping score, he said.
It would be an enviable position to be in, to no longer be concerned about money, knowing your finances are secure for your lifetime but in order to get to that point it appears you have to make use of an instinctive competitiveness that to me appears less enviable.
Do nice guys ever make good in the entrepreneurial world? Perhaps, but you probably need a lot of luck, I would guess.
The front page of the FT today suggests Alistair Darling’s flat 18 per cent rate for capital gains tax is going to hit start-ups, entrepreneurs and VCs.
It will mean an increase from a 10 per cent tax bill to 18 per cent for entrepreneurs selling their companies. But if what Scarisbrick tells me is true, will it really matter if the entrepreneur gets a few hundred thousand less when he is reaping millions (hopefully)?
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