How 50 Startups Got Their Start...
- Thread starter zimok
- Start date
Some, sure. but most hell no. it takes passion and personal involvement to invent something out of thin air, then quickly see it gain traction and change everything for the better or worse. you've been sold the hollywood version of this shit. most wouldn't have stuck through the challenges of making things happen if all they were drawn to was money - the real reward is the growth you get as a person going through that process as corny as it sounds. much easier ways to get paper out there
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_0dVHMpJlo"]Lecture 5 - Competition is for Losers - YouTube[/ame]
Great vid. A few thoughts
1- I wish I knew how to code. I have a lot of simple ideas I'd love to just throw together on my own and see what a few friends think. I'm not a programmer. Maybe I should learn Ruby/Rails, or even mobile (iOS).
2- 99% of these ideas came from personal experiences. Focus on problems you actually face, instead of trying to guess what other people will want. A light should be going off in your head and you should stop and think when you say phrases like..
'i wish there were an easier way to _________'
'i wish I could just ______'
1- I wish I knew how to code. I have a lot of simple ideas I'd love to just throw together on my own and see what a few friends think. I'm not a programmer. Maybe I should learn Ruby/Rails, or even mobile (iOS).
2- 99% of these ideas came from personal experiences. Focus on problems you actually face, instead of trying to guess what other people will want. A light should be going off in your head and you should stop and think when you say phrases like..
'i wish there were an easier way to _________'
'i wish I could just ______'
Was talking to a guy worth over $500 million one day. I point blank asked him, "how did you do it?". His answer? "I surrounded myself with a bunch of grey hairs, and made a lot of mistakes".
It's all about who you know.
heh, what? Go live in downtown Vancouver for a while, and you'll see. Meeting rich people isn't anything special. They're all over the place there.
Good luck with that! You're going to be a broke peasant your entire life with that attitude!
Around 70% of millionaires are self made. Which means they didn't come from money.
heh, what a stupid argument this is turning into.
Ok, take something stupid like Shark Tank for example. If you're a small time, struggling entrepreneur, then one day Mark Cuban gets added to your board of directors, your chances of massive success just increased dramatically, correct?
Again, it's all about who you know. Doesn't mean you don't need to be intelligent, and willing to haul ass 100+ hours/week, but who you know matters.
heh, what a stupid argument this is turning into.
Ok, take something stupid like Shark Tank for example. If you're a small time, struggling entrepreneur, then one day Mark Cuban gets added to your board of directors, your chances of massive success just increased dramatically, correct?
Again, it's all about who you know. Doesn't mean you don't need to be intelligent, and willing to haul ass 100+ hours/week, but who you know matters.
The people on Sharktank were already a success or the Sharks wouldn't have invested their money. They are called sharks for a reason.
My point is that if you go through life with the premise that your success is controlled by some external factor, like "who you know", then you will never be a success.
You have already robbed yourself of all your power to be successful.
I get what you're saying, but who you know isn't uncontrollable.
You choose your friends, as the old saying goes.
If I really wanted to be in the start-up game, the first thing I would do is move to silicon valley, then start harassing, I mean, networking with high profile people.
Its not hard, they don't live in some magical bubble.
Agreed... But YOU have to "know" how to make friends and network. YOU have to put in the work to make that happen. YOU have to foster those relationships.
YOU are 100% responsible for your success or your failure.
Unless you are born into money or won the lottery, this is the undeniable truth.
Excuse me, I'm very successful. I can afford the ramen noodles with shrimp in them, I'll have you know. None of that pork or chicken shit for me.
Ok, on a more serious note, do you know what I would have done differently if I could go back in time to when I was 20? Instead of being a cocky little shit who thought he was awesome and knew everything because he was making far more than anyone he knew, including his oil exec father, I would have calmed down a bit.
Then I would have sourced out people who are far wealthier, more powerful and more intelligent than myself, and made myself valuable to them, and preferably indispensable to them. Do you have any idea of how infinitely better off I would currently be if I did that? But no, I decided to wear a chip on my shoulder, decided my success was 100% because of how awesome I was, and thought the money stream would never end. Live and learn though, right?
Have you ever fallen (work / business wise)? You don't sound like you're under 25, so I'll assume that's a yes. Falling is just a part of the game. Which do you think is easier? Falling and being completely on your own, or falling while having contacts with several millionaires who have a vested interest in your well being?
I don't know about you, but I'll go with the latter.
yep. i thought he was trolling saying it was all a matter of knowing people and that you can't make moves without, but this is a great perspective.
on another note, i was wondering if there's someone else out there who'd like to share a similar story of like what you'd do at 20 if you had the chance to reverse things/course-correct or even something you did right without realizing at the time.
Point well made, but I would add that falling without help teaches some lessons that can not be learned any other way.
I wouldn't change a thing, because every time I fucked up I learned something.
Pain is the most efficient teaching tool and motivator.