Entrepreneurs are heroes. I firmly stand by that statement. As police officers, firefighters, and soldiers are heroes to our personal safety- as teachers are heroes to our children’s education – entrepreneurs are heroes to the economy.

Founders take huge personal risks to innovate a better world for us all and create jobs in the process. Every great innovation we enjoy comes from the mind of a Founder willing to risk it all to make our lives better. We’re familiar with the greats–like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Martha Stewart, Walt Disney, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, Howard Schultz, Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah Winfrey, Herb Kelleher, Arianna Huffington, Jack Ma, and many more.

But for every Founder that has tasted success and made the spotlight, there are hundreds more that have “failed”. I quote the word “failed” because they are not failures as in the opposite of “success”. By the very nature of an entrepreneur, risk is an innate characteristic, vital and necessary to create something out of nothing. And where there is nothing, there is no manual or guide for what to create and how. Hence, many millions of Founders go to battle – only a few surviving. The sacrifices those Founders make ensure the success of the Elon Musk’s of the world.

If it were up to me, every “failed” entrepreneur would get a pension plan in recognition of the service they have performed for our country’s economy. But why do some many Founders fail? It mostly comes down to the two types of luck.

The first luck is just dumb luck – being in the right place at the right time. This is not something that can be planned or architected. It’s just the inherent randomness of life that accounts for many of life’s successes and failures. We cannot control what we cannot control.

The second kind of luck is the luck of the prepared. This is the luck that many entrepreneurs refer to as “I make my own luck”. It’s the luck that those who plan and work hard enjoy. It’s not a guaranteed recipe for success, but it provides a marked advantage over those who do not plan or put in the work.

And that brings the conversation to why we at Founders Workshop are supporting PHX and why we support entrepreneurs. PHX provides the events and opportunities Founders need to create their own luck. Founders Workshop provides software development services exclusively to Founders– catering our services to maximize “Founder Luck” through a tried and true development process. Founders Workshop funds the AZ Founders Guild – a peer-to-peer community exclusively for Founders to support a Founders journey through mentoring, pitch practicing, and other Founder related events. We are thrilled to be part of the PHX community and are humbled by what PHX has done for the Founder community in Phoenix.

Founders are truly the heroes of our economy. And Founders deserve better! That’s why Founders Workshop, AZ Founders Guild, and the PHX ecosystem helps provide every advantage we can to Founders.

Founders – Thank you for everything you do.