A few years ago, I received a call from a fine young man I’d advised for about nine months about ten years ago. During that nine month period when I advised him, he wanted to start a company and we explored what that entailed. He was a very smart person and diligent in his work. First rate mind and education. Winner.
“What keeps you from starting a company?” I would ask him. Continue reading
I have been (after a 40-year business career) assisting a handful of ideators, incubators, and accelerators as a mentor and sitting on their investment committees and selection bodies for a decade.
I am often asked to sit in with the band more times than I can actually accommodate, but I try to keep a hand in the game. It is a wonderful learning experience and, honestly, I am amazed how often my knowledge can be a huge assist to a young entrepreneur (none of whom have ever read Drucker).
There is a lot of confusion as to the difference and purpose of each of these approaches to encouraging entrepreneurship.
Here is the way I view them:
Ideator. An ideator is where entrepreneurs go to create and test an investable idea. They consider and formulate an idea that is either:
1. an aspirin (an antidote to the world’s pain in some meaningful fashion) or,
2. a vitamin (an improvement in society’s health in some meaningful fashion).
The journey through the ideator ends when the entrepreneur can get knowledgeable folks to say, “Yeah, I can see that working.”
This story is the composite of two persons, one in Austin by God Texas and the other in Savannah, Georgia.
It is a story of how entrepreneurship + hustle + just a dash of tech = wealth.
The core of the story is a guy who decided he wanted to do something to acquire wealth, so he started a mobile car washing operation. Has nothing to do with blockchain, crypto. Car washing.
He would want me to tell you that it is not a mobile “detailing” shop because he says he makes a lot more money washing a car for $35/each in 12-15 minutes than he could detailing a car for $200 over four hours.
Entrepreneurship.
The other day, I’m having a cup of coffee — no latte, just coffee — with a man whose opinion I respect. It is a mutual respect, one built over a long period of time. Some of that time spent in close consultation, some of that time passing with few words exchanged.
We get to talking about what it means to be an entrepreneur — between us we have more than 70 years of experience, but we both struggle to put meat on the bones of that subject.
Here is what we say to each other.
Bit gloomy in the ATX, but who doesn’t like a few clouds? So, I have been reading several interesting books about the American Revolution. Two of my favorites are Ron Chernow’s biographies on Washington and Hamilton. They are both worth a read. I have read them both at least three times, but I learn something new every time I re-read them.
If you think these are beach books, plan on at least three months at the beach.
In both of them, George Washington and Alexander Hamilton come up for detailed scrutiny of their role at the First Battle of Trenton whereat George Washington undertook a Christmas Day, double envelopment, river crossing and attack on the Hessians in Trenton. It has been recognized as one of the most audacious military strokes in the history of the world.
Lobsters? Really, Big Red Car, lobsters?
Big Red Car here. Bit dark and rainy in the ATX today but it is almost Memorial Day when we get our torrential floods.
Today, we talk about lobsters. OK, lobsters are your friend and if you go to Red Lobster, you know what I mean. [Pro tip: Go hungry. Go early. Go big. Eat the cheese biscuits but don’t get too full on them.]
Hello, I am a Maine lobster. I am headed to Red Lobster. See you there?
Big Red Car here on another warm August Texas day. On Earth as it is in Texas, y’all.
When you live in Texas — even if you’re originally from Detroit, like me — it’s hard not to be proud (obnoxious) about how great Texas is.
Here’s one more reason: Texas women entrepreneurs. Continue reading
Big Red Car here in the tropical rain forest known as Austin by God Texas.
It’s been raining a little here. Not that we don’t need it; we do. If we did not have such an arid climate, we would not be complaining but we are not really used to this much rain; so we complain.
Shame on us.
In life, we are propelled ever forward by our emotions — driven by the slings, arrows, slights, insults that are visited upon us and which tempt us to anger. Anger can be very destructive. How are you harnessing emotions?
Listen carefully — this is a “good” thing. Not a GOOD thing, a “good” thing. Continue reading
Thank you for subscribing.
Something went wrong.