Why is Iron Man every entrepreneur’s super hero?
He is a genius, a billionaire, a playboy, and a philanthropist. Iron Man (aka Tony Stark) seems to have it all. While Elon Musk, the real-life Iron Man, may have begun very differently, and is the inspiration behind Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man – many entrepreneurs consider Iron Man their inspiration. Like Iron Man told Captain America in the first Avengers movie: “I think I would just cut the wire,” implying that he would find a resourceful way and not necessarily sacrifice himself in the process.
Here are a few traits of Iron Man that can come in handy for entrepreneurs.
- Be resourceful and a risk taker
Although Tony Stark had inherited his millions and company when his father Howard Stark died, he relies mostly on his genius; for example, like when he is captured by a group of Afghani terrorists. At this time, he uses his skills as a machinist and designs a weapon, which in turn acts as a prototype for his ‘Iron Man,’ suit. “His willingness to take risks is what endears him to entrepreneurs,” says Giridhar Soundarajan, Founder of Barrel Exhaust.
- Be real, and it’s okay to make mistakes
The first prototype of the Iron Man isn’t the final one; in fact it is far from it. Tony Stark had to tweak, and work on different versions Mark I, Mark II and Mark III before he could ‘launch.’ He never expected the first one to be the perfect version. Like anyone testing out a new idea, he believed in giving it the best, and learning from his mistakes. “He is real he makes mistakes and learns from them. That’s what makes him so relatable,” says Vineet Sethi, Co-founder Hysteria.
- Be creative and evolve
“Other superheroes have supernatural powers or fancy gadgets. Tony Stark’s only power is his brain and his ability to think up new things and be creative,” adds Vineet. Whether it was choosing to challenge Loki single-handedly or rethinking his whole business model, Tony Stark’s real power comes with his ability to be creative and think on his feet.
- Don’t be afraid to tell the real world who you are
Tony Stark truly believes in leading by example; he has never believed in hiding who Iron Man really is. “All the other superheroes have alter egos: Superman is Clark Kent to the real world, Spider Man is Peter Parker and Batman is Bruce Wayne, but everyone knows who Iron Man is!” says Kaushik Srinivasan, Founder , CaneXpress. He has the guts to challenge his nemesis on television and even gives out his home address. While that did get him in trouble, he nevertheless was able to save the day.
- Innovate and improvise
Tony Stark did inherit Stark industries, but he has been held hostage many a time. And on two occasions, he has been able to improvise (‘Iron Man I’ and ‘Iron Man III’). The first time, in fact, he had no luxury; he made do with what he had. In ‘Iron Man III’, he used a kid’s garage to get his suit up and functioning again!
- Have fun whenever you can!
Sassy and fun-loving, nobody can ever accuse Tony Stark of being boring. “Let’s take the day off, I know this great place where you get shwarma, you’ve tried shwarma,” he says after taking a nuclear missile to outer space to destroy a spacecraft. “He’s just fun! And awesome,” says Shatruddha, Co-Founder, Switch Kit. Tony Stark always finds humor in every situation, sometimes in the direst of situations. “Performance issues, the best of us have it,” is what he tells Loki, a god minutes away from launching an intergalactic war.
- Make do with what you have even if it’s not ready
“Sir, Mark III is not yet ready for deployment.”
“Then quit the spinning wheels Jarvis.We’re on the clock here.”
Tony Stark knew that his suit wasn’t ready for deployment, and yet he was willing to take his chances. Even when he was warned that his suit didn’t have the power to carry him to outer space he just went ahead launched himself through the 'doorway'.