Chewing Gum Economy

I was recently working on a presentation I plan to give.

At some point, I unconsciously reached for a piece of gum.

A few minutes later, I noticed I was already wrapping it in its paper and throwing it into the litter box.

And it struck me how often we treat new ideas in entrepreneurship the same way.

We chase the “taste”:

a hyped technology, a promising trend, a shiny partnership.

The first minutes are exciting — full of flavor and confidence.

But when the sweetness fades and the real work begins, most people spit it out and move on to the next gum.

I’ve seen this across startups, investors, and ecosystems.

Big buzz at the beginning;

silence when the journey enters the valley of death.

But the real value isn’t in the taste.

It’s in what happens after the taste disappears.

If you keep “chewing” — not blindly, but consciously:

• you uncover the true mechanics of the technology or market,

• you see where the real value hides (usually not in the initial hype),

• you build resilience, insight, and relationships that compound over time.

  
  

This isn’t about stubborn persistence in dead ends.

It’s about staying long enough, with principles and clarity, to see beyond the surface and revise based on real understanding.

Entrepreneurship isn’t about collecting flavors.

It’s about developing the jaw — the discipline and depth —

to chew through uncertainty and extract enduring value.

So next time you chew a piece of gum and feel the taste fading,

think twice before throwing it away.

Sometimes the real benefit begins after the sweetness is gone.