# Tenacity

By [Albert's Import](https://paragraph.com/@albertsimport) · 2013-02-18

entrepreneurs

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At our wedding, [Susan](http://susandanziger.com/)’s mother – a professor emeritus of English literature – read Dr. Seuss’s [Green Eggs and Ham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Eggs_and_Ham). While some guests may have wondered about the significance, most knew that I had been rather persistent in my pursuit. Tenacity has served me well in other aspects of life too. It was in 1999 that I decided I wanted to be an investor in startups. From there it took me seven years and two major setbacks before joining Union Square Ventures.

Tenacity is a quality that I think is essential for entrepreneurs. Even the most successful company encounters tough times along the way. And many entrepreneurs are successful not on their first attempt but in a second or third venture. [Jeff Lawson](https://twitter.com/jeffiel), co-founder and CEO of Twilio, is a great example of someone who kept going with another startup despite a previous setback.

I wish I knew how to impart this quality to our children. If anyone knows of educational or psychological research that points in this direction I would much appreciate it.  

PS The topic came to mind because this is my 1,000th post on Continuations.

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*Originally published on [Albert's Import](https://paragraph.com/@albertsimport/tenacity)*