--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The entrepreneurial journey starts with…" description: "\"The entrepreneurial journey starts with jumping off a cliff and assembling an airplane on the way down.\" — Reid Hoffman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/reid-hoffman-1342_airplane_the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with_91074.png" --- # The entrepreneurial journey starts with jumping off a… ![“The entrepreneurial journey starts with jumping off a cliff and assembling an airplane on the way down.” quote by Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/reid-hoffman-1342_airplane_the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with_91074.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/reid-hoffman-1342_airplane_the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with_91074.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/reid-hoffman-1342_airplane_the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with_91074.png) > “The entrepreneurial journey starts with jumping off a cliff and assembling an airplane on the way down.” [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Entrepreneurship is portrayed as a daring leap requiring improvisation and resourcefulness while descending into uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Startups demand daring improvisation. Key Takeaway Risk and adaptability drive creation. Themes entrepreneurship risk innovation adaptability Mood motivational adventurous Type inspirational business When to use this quote - seed‑stage startup launch - pivot decision - fundraising under pressure Key Concepts lean methodology growth mindset Practical Applications - Prototype quickly, iterate on feedback Questions to Reflect On - When is caution preferable to bold leaps? - How can founders balance speed with due diligence? A Different Perspective Over‑glorifying risk may ignore the value of careful planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Entrepreneurial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurial/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [The metaphor that I frequently use for entrepreneurship is jumping off a cliff and assembling an airplane plane on the way down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/the-metaphor-that-i-frequently-use-for-entrepreneurship-is-jumping/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Love is always a leap into the unknown. You can try to control as many variables, and understand a situation as you can, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/love-is-always-a-leap-into-the-unknown-you-can-try-to-control-as-many/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [I also am not particularly risk-averse - I don't mind jumping off a cliff if I trust the people who've told me they'll catch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-also-am-not-particularly-risk-averse-i-don-t-mind-jumping-off-a/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [You jump off a cliff and you assemble an airplane on the way down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/you-jump-off-a-cliff-and-you-assemble-an-airplane-on-the-way-down/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [At the end of the day, an entrepreneurial journey is all about de-risking: How can you spend the least amount of time and money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-blumenthal/at-the-end-of-the-day-an-entrepreneurial-journey-is-all-about-de/) [Neil Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-blumenthal/) > [Remember: if the most unique ideas were obvious to everyone, there wouldn’t be entrepreneurs. The one thing that every entrepreneurial journey has in common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tory-burch/remember-if-the-most-unique-ideas-were-obvious-to-everyone-there/) [Tory Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tory-burch/) > [When beginning your entrepreneurial journey, acknowledge that you become a product of the five people you spend the most time with. So choose your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-howes/when-beginning-your-entrepreneurial-journey-acknowledge-that-you/) [Lewis Howes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-howes/) > [Our goal is simply to make entrepreneurship more accessible to everyone around the world throughout the entrepreneurial journey, from inspiration to IPO.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/our-goal-is-simply-to-make-entrepreneurship-more-accessible-to/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [When we love something, emotion often drives our actions. This is the gift and the challenge entrepreneurs face every day. The companies we dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/when-we-love-something-emotion-often-drives-our-actions-this-is-the/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [I started my entrepreneurial journey right out of college. At the age of 21, I incorporated my first business: a PR firm based in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/i-started-my-entrepreneurial-journey-right-out-of-college-at-the-age/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [“The further he raided, the closer he came to the other rooms. Those unused, cobwebbed chambers of her heart. Would he dare to venture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/the-further-he-raided-the-closer-he-came-to-the-other-rooms-those/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [I used to be an obsessive outliner - figuring that writing without an outline was like jumping off a cliff and building a parachute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-wasserman/i-used-to-be-an-obsessive-outliner-figuring-that-writing-without-an/) [Robin Wasserman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-wasserman/) > [I have to dig from myself versus digging from something that I like. Digging from something you like is easy whereas from your inside,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jlin/i-have-to-dig-from-myself-versus-digging-from-something-that-i-like/) [Jlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jlin/) > [I'm constantly jumping off cliffs and developing my wings on the way down. ... It's a gamble, a ... spiritual gamble. You are who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-m-constantly-jumping-off-cliffs-and-developing-my-wings-on-the-way/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [If your friend was jumping off a cliff would you? Reply- Hells yer, friends hold eachothers hands when they do things like that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-your-friend-was-jumping-off-a-cliff-would-you-reply-hells-yer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Reid Hoffman > [As an entrepreneur and investor, I prioritize construction and collaboration. Whether it's a five-person start-up or a global giant, the companies that are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/as-an-entrepreneur-and-investor-i-prioritize-construction-and/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [In software speed to market, speed to learning is really key. In hardware if you screw it up you are dead. So accuracy really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/in-software-speed-to-market-speed-to-learning-is-really-key-in/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [“Stockpiling facts won’t get you anywhere. What will get you somewhere is being able to access the information you need, when you need it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/stockpiling-facts-won-t-get-you-anywhere-what-will-get-you-somewhere/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [I think the randomness by Donald Trump's governing, by tweeting, sloganeering, attacking, will create great chaos in the entire market. I think people will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/i-think-the-randomness-by-donald-trump-s-governing-by-tweeting/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Democracy is always frustrating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/democracy-is-always-frustrating/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [One of the ways they run forward is by viewing the thing they’re doing as something that’s going to be the whole world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/one-of-the-ways-they-run-forward-is-by-viewing-the-thing-they-re/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [If you could train an AI to be a Buddhist, it would probably be pretty good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/if-you-could-train-an-ai-to-be-a-buddhist-it-would-probably-be-pretty/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [It’s actually pretty easy to be contrarian. It’s hard to be contrarian and right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/it-s-actually-pretty-easy-to-be-contrarian-it-s-hard-to-be-contrarian/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Giving birth to something that could possibly change the lives of millions of people for possibly decades, hundreds of years, whatever the length of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/giving-birth-to-something-that-could-possibly-change-the-lives-of/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Be persistent, and hang on to your vision. And at the same time, be flexible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/be-persistent-and-hang-on-to-your-vision-and-at-the-same-time-be/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [First mover Advantage doesn't go to the company that starts up, it goes to the company that scales up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/first-mover-advantage-doesn-t-go-to-the-company-that-starts-up-it/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Before dreaming about the future or marking plans, you need to articulate what you already have going for you - as entrepreneurs do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/before-dreaming-about-the-future-or-marking-plans-you-need-to/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [The metaphor that I frequently use for entrepreneurship is jumping off a cliff and assembling an airplane plane on the way down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/the-metaphor-that-i-frequently-use-for-entrepreneurship-is-jumping/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [ I think most of \[people\] are not very well educated themselves to understand the Winston Churchill line - democracy is the worst of all… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/i-think-most-of-people-are-not-very-well-educated-themselves-to/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Simply writing a Ph.D. or academic book was unlikely to play much of a role in helping shape people's lives as I wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/simply-writing-a-ph-d-or-academic-book-was-unlikely-to-play-much-of-a/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) [Explore all 253 Reid Hoffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) ## More Airplane quotes > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [I shoot in black and white, sometimes color, sometimes if it looks good I shoot out the window of the airplanes or whatever, anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-shoot-in-black-and-white-sometimes-color-sometimes-if-it-looks-good/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [I've jumped out of an airplane 34 times. I've dove 212 feet under water. I've done a lot of things that defied death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/i-ve-jumped-out-of-an-airplane-34-times-i-ve-dove-212-feet-under/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [I believe that anyone who flies in an airplane and doesn't spend most of his time looking out the window wastes his money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-reisner/i-believe-that-anyone-who-flies-in-an-airplane-and-doesn-t-spend-most/) [Marc Reisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-reisner/) > [We live in a world where it has become politically correct to avoid absolutes. Many want all religions to be given the same honor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-live-in-a-world-where-it-has-become-politically-correct-to-avoid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [On the second airplane to france and we're done ! yeyyyyyyyyy !! this one was more full :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shmmopy/on-the-second-airplane-to-france-and-we-re-done-yeyyyyyyyyy-this-one/) Shmmopy > [The way I see it, you can either work for a living or you can fly airplanes. Me, I'd rather fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-morgan/the-way-i-see-it-you-can-either-work-for-a-living-or-you-can-fly/) Len Morgan > [I'm 17 years old. I'm not a straight-A student or anything. Even so, I figured out how to make an Internet that they can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-m-17-years-old-i-m-not-a-straight-a-student-or-anything-even-so-i/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [I don't have a fear of flying; I have a fear of crashing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/i-don-t-have-a-fear-of-flying-i-have-a-fear-of-crashing/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [From computers to information technology to airplanes, it has been America's unique blend of republican government and free-market capitalism that has allowed us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-nethercutt/from-computers-to-information-technology-to-airplanes-it-has-been/) [George Nethercutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-nethercutt/) > [I've been racking my brain. I've been trying to figure out how Bob Dole's luggage got on my airplane...I told the doctor, I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-ve-been-racking-my-brain-i-ve-been-trying-to-figure-out-how-bob/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Sometimes life is like being stuck in the middle-seat of an airplane, next to a ridiculously fat person and a crying baby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-life-is-like-being-stuck-in-the-middle-seat-of-an-airplane/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm sure the most favorite airplane in my career would still be the Sabre F86 cleft wing , which allowed me to be credited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/i-m-sure-the-most-favorite-airplane-in-my-career-would-still-be-the/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [John Travolta said he sometimes lets his friends take control of his airplane even though they don't know what they're doing. Then Travolta said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/john-travolta-said-he-sometimes-lets-his-friends-take-control-of-his/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) Browse all 935 Airplane quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The entrepreneurial journey starts with jumping off a cliff and assembling an airplane on the way down.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Reid Hoffman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with-jumping-off-a-cliff-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Airplane" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with-jumping-off-a-cliff-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/reid-hoffman-1342_airplane_the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with_91074.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/reid-hoffman-1342_airplane_the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with_91074.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b15/reid-hoffman-1342_airplane_the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with_91074.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The entrepreneurial journey starts with jumping off a cliff and assembling an airplane on the way down.” — Reid Hoffman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Reid Hoffman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The entrepreneurial journey starts with jumping...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with-jumping-off-a-cliff-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with-jumping-off-a-cliff-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```