Page 184 - Flaunt 171 - Summer of Our Discontent - Lili

“i would never run away from my name,” Patrick Arnold
Shriver Schwarzenegger says, patiently pondering a ques- tion he’s likely been asked
over and over again. “I look up to both of my parents. That’s why I have Shriver and Schwarzenegger in my last name. I am extremely proud of both of them and the work that they do, for giving me the life that I have, and for finding ways to help other people.”
Patrick is the second-youngest child of California power couple Maria Shriver (whose own family tree extends its roots to include the fabled Kennedys) and the state’s former Governor, and arguably its biggest ever Hollywood action star,Arnold Schwarzenegger. Patrick— an entrepreneur, actor, philanthropist and model—had more bridges to power and prestige as a swaddled infant than might be fathomable to a fully grown adult. Babies cannot pronounce “Schwarzenegger,” let alone imagine what life awaits them with a surname so recog- nizable, half of that life will be spent cutting off the question, “Are you...” with a succinct, “Yes.” And yet, at age 26, perhaps Patrick’s most-admirable quality is his complete awareness and acceptance of this unequivocal social disposition.
Early on, it was clear that he desired to carve out his own path, regardless of lineage. Before he graduated from the University of Southern California, Patrick co-owned a pizza joint. For most stu- dents, the archetypal pizza parlor is a simple thing: a venue to forge new friendships in uncomfortable booths while dabbing grease from an affordable slice with a napkin. Instead, Patrick saw a business opportunity and started the franchise Blaze Pizza.
“I have been an entrepreneur since I was a little kid,” he says, describing his early forays into business as one of the “things” he has decided to pursue. “Like any kid, I had a lemonade and cookie stand, but I eventually ended up running my dad’s memorabilia site that raises funds for charity. Now, I have my own business—Achilles Advi- sors—and I invest in early startups, consult, and help companies grow. To be a successful entrepreneur, you must have a ton of internal drive because most people don’t want to leave their 9-to-5 job to work from 6am to 7pm every day of the week. Entrepreneurialism and planning a business and creating it is a taxing way to live. It’s not always as rosy as it sounds. It is very lonely and can mess up other parts of your life.
“For me, it has never been about money,” he continues, describ- ing what excites him about investing in new ventures. “And maybe that is because I come from a family that lives well. But I wouldn’t suggest becoming an entrepreneur just because you can. You really have to have that burning desire to go out there and want to create
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