An Open Letter to Robert, The University Student Fighting the Dropping Out Temptation

When Entrepreneurial Fire Burns Away Common Sense

Dear Robert,

You wrote to us last week from your second year at university. You shared that you have been investing in broilers, layers, and LP gas, with your layers doing particularly well. But then you said something that made us pause: “I feel stupid for going to school… A stupid certificate will not make me reach where I want to be, maybe I should drop out and focus on business.”

Robert, we need to have an honest conversation about education, entrepreneurship, and the dangerous trap of all-or-nothing thinking that destroys more young dreams than it fulfills.

You Are Not Stupid for Being in School

First, let us be crystal clear: we have never said education is not important. If that impression came across in our content, then we failed to communicate properly. What we have always emphasized is that education alone does not guarantee financial success—there is a significant difference between those two statements.

You are not stupid for pursuing your degree. You are actually demonstrating wisdom by building multiple foundations for your future. The fact that you are running businesses while studying shows intelligence, not stupidity.

The Survivorship Bias Trap

When entrepreneurial fire burns bright in young people, they often point to Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg as proof that dropping out leads to success. This is called survivorship bias—focusing only on the few who succeeded while ignoring the millions who dropped out and failed.

For every Gates or Zuckerberg, there are tens of thousands of dropouts who are now working minimum-wage jobs, wishing they had finished their education. You never hear their stories because failure does not make headlines.

The entrepreneurs who dropped out and succeeded had specific advantages: they were already running profitable businesses, had access to significant capital, came from wealthy families, or had extraordinary circumstances. Most importantly, they left to pursue opportunities so massive that staying in school would have cost them millions.

Robert, are you in that position? Is staying in school for two more years going to cost you millions in lost opportunity?

What Education Really Gives You

You are right that education does not guarantee financial success—we have never claimed it does. But dismissing it as just “a stupid certificate” shows you fundamentally misunderstand what education provides:

It can get you a paying job. This is perhaps the most practical benefit. While your businesses are growing, that degree can secure you employment that pays your bills and funds your entrepreneurial ventures. Many successful entrepreneurs started their empires while working day jobs that their education made possible.

It opens doors you do not even know exist yet. That degree will get you into rooms, meetings, and opportunities that are simply closed to non-graduates. Fair or not, this is reality in most industries and countries.

It develops your thinking capacity. University is not just about memorizing facts—it is about learning how to analyze complex problems, think critically, research effectively, and communicate your ideas clearly. These are entrepreneurial superpowers.

It builds discipline and persistence. Completing a degree demonstrates that you can start something difficult and see it through to completion. Investors and partners notice this trait.

It expands your network. Your classmates today will be doctors, lawyers, engineers, and business leaders tomorrow. These relationships can become partnerships, customers, or investors in your future ventures.

It provides a safety net. If your businesses fail—and many do—your degree ensures you can rebuild from a position of strength rather than starting from zero.

It gives you credibility. Right or wrong, people take educated entrepreneurs more seriously. It can mean the difference between getting that loan, attracting that investor, or landing that big contract.

It matures you as a person. University exposes you to diverse ideas, different perspectives, and intellectual challenges that shape your worldview and decision-making abilities.

The False Choice That Destroys Dreams

Here is where many young entrepreneurs go wrong: they create a false choice between education and business. They think they must choose one or the other, when the most successful entrepreneurs often excel at both.

You are already proving this is possible. Your layers are doing well while you are in your second year. Why abandon a strategy that is working?

The all-or-nothing mentality is dangerous. It makes you think that because education alone does not guarantee wealth, it has no value. This is like saying because eating vegetables alone does not guarantee health, vegetables are worthless.

Why Young Entrepreneurs Often Regret Dropping Out

We have seen too many young people catch entrepreneurial fire and make rushed decisions they later regret. Here is what typically happens:

They drop out feeling excited and liberated. For a few months, they throw themselves into their business with the energy they once put into studies. But running a business is harder than attending lectures. The challenges multiply, revenue becomes inconsistent, and the romantic notion of being your own boss meets the harsh reality of market forces.

Here is the uncomfortable truth: entrepreneurship is extremely tough, and most small businesses fail or never generate significant income. This is not pessimism—it is reality. Statistics show that many businesses struggle to become profitable, and even those that survive often provide income that is inconsistent and stressful compared to regular employment.

Meanwhile, their friends graduate, get good jobs with steady salaries, benefits, and clear career progression paths. The dropout realizes that their “stupid certificate” is now standing between them and many opportunities. Going back to school becomes harder with each passing year, while their business struggles to provide the financial stability they need.

What You Should Do Instead

Robert, continue doing exactly what you are doing—run your businesses while completing your education. Here is why this strategy is superior:

Use university as your training ground. Practice business concepts you learn in class with your real ventures. Apply marketing theories to promote your layers business. Use financial management principles to optimize your operations.

Leverage university resources. Many universities have business incubators, entrepreneurship programs, and access to funding opportunities. Your professors might become mentors or advisors.

Build while you learn. These four years give you time to experiment, fail, and learn without the pressure of supporting yourself entirely through business income.

Graduate with experience. When you complete your degree, you will have both education and real business experience—a combination that makes you incredibly valuable.

Keep your options open. If your businesses scale dramatically, you can always focus on them after graduation. But if they struggle, you have alternatives.

The Right Time to Go All-In

There are times when focusing entirely on business makes sense, but they require meeting specific criteria:

Your business is already generating significant revenue—enough to support you comfortably. You have a clear growth path that requires your full attention. You have sufficient capital to survive potential failures. You have gained enough experience to make informed decisions about complex business challenges.

Robert, do your current ventures meet these criteria? If not, then dropping out is premature and potentially disastrous.

Success Is Not a Sprint

The entrepreneurial journey is a marathon, not a sprint. You have decades ahead of you to build wealth and create the life you want. Rushing to abandon your education might save you two years but could cost you opportunities for the next forty years.

Many of the most successful entrepreneurs built their empires after completing their education. They used their twenties to learn, grow, and prepare before launching their major ventures in their thirties or forties.

Our Advice to You

Continue running your businesses while studying. Treat university as an investment in your entrepreneurial toolkit, not as competition with your business goals. Use the next two years to refine your business skills, expand your network, and prepare for bigger opportunities.

When you graduate, you will have options that dropouts simply do not have. You can pursue entrepreneurship from a position of strength, with education, experience, and credentials all working in your favor.

The Final Word

Robert, we admire your entrepreneurial spirit and your success with your layers business. But do not let early success convince you to abandon a valuable asset like your education.

The smartest entrepreneurs collect tools, knowledge, and opportunities wherever they find them. Your degree is just another tool in your entrepreneurial toolkit—one that could prove invaluable in ways you cannot yet imagine.

Stay in school. Keep building your businesses. And remember that success is not about choosing between education and entrepreneurship—it is about using both to create the future you want.

Wishing you wisdom in your decisions and success in all your ventures,

ZimLedger Admin