I just read James Altucher's '100 Rules for Being an Entrepreneur' and heartily recommend it for any entrepreneur or wannabe.
I don't agree with all of it though. For example, Altucher's rule #1: it's not fun. In my view, if it's not fun, don't do it - but I'm not suggesting you expect a non-stop joy ride either.
There are some personal faves in the list too:
- Try not to hire people
- Get a customer
- If you have an idea worth pursuing, then just make it.
(The 'just do it' approach is probably universally cheered on by most entrepreneurs.)
Check out Altucher's list here, it's long, but a quick, amusing and meaningful read - even with the many reminders to follow him on Twitter ;)
Channeling the inner entrepreneur who views life as a startup. Musings about people, their spirit, the startup ethos and the entrepreneurial attitude, with an emphasis on education and social ventures. The 'how-to'? Not so much. But definitely the why, the what and the whatever.
Who loses?
Flip Video was a poster child for a successful startup a few years ago. Got started in 2001 as Pure Digital and was selling over a million units per year in 2008. They were portable, easy to use and low priced, and favored by a lot of consumers. They could have gone public.
So, Cisco bought one of the fastest growing tech companies in 2009 and is now shutting it down. The founders and investors in Pure Digital probably made out well in the Cisco buyout of $590 Million, but now 500+ employees are going to be laid off. A fallout of Cisco's failed consumer strategy.
Who loses? For sure the employees who're now seeing pink instead of green. Also the consumers, who're losing out on the availability of a popular little camcorder and in the fact that innovation in this space got stymied (not everyone wants a smartphone camera as the only choice - even smartphone owners).
Just a story of a startup that appeared to have a (somewhat) happy ending and then - didn't.
So, Cisco bought one of the fastest growing tech companies in 2009 and is now shutting it down. The founders and investors in Pure Digital probably made out well in the Cisco buyout of $590 Million, but now 500+ employees are going to be laid off. A fallout of Cisco's failed consumer strategy.
Who loses? For sure the employees who're now seeing pink instead of green. Also the consumers, who're losing out on the availability of a popular little camcorder and in the fact that innovation in this space got stymied (not everyone wants a smartphone camera as the only choice - even smartphone owners).
Just a story of a startup that appeared to have a (somewhat) happy ending and then - didn't.
Entrepreneur Educator
The New York Times magazine this weekend had an education story that makes for some compelling reading. The spotlight was on Ramon Gonzales, the principal of a public middle school in the Bronx. He's taken a struggling school and made it successful, or at least relatively so, despite significant challenges.
Gonzales could be considered a shining example of the vision of Joel Klein, the previous chancellor of the New York City schools, who aimed to transform every principal "from an agent of bureaucracy to the CEO of his or her own school'. But Gonzales was not only following the 'chief executive' approach but was clearly displaying an 'entrepreneurial spirit', akin to a founder of a scrappy startup.
He finds creative ways to bring in money (boot-strapping). He personally invests time in building his faculty and guiding them (shaping team and culture) knowing that it is key to success. Gonzales realizes that perceptions matter and pays attention to seemingly small things like greeting students at the door (marketing) and he cares about the outcomes for individual students (customer focus). The most important quality of a startup founder/CEO is that he doesn't give up easily and so far, Gonzales appears to be digging his heels in and refusing to give up ground to charter schools.
It is easy to understand how our economy relies on entrepreneurship for growth but it takes a little imagination to see how that could extend to education too. Maybe our schools need entrepreneurial educators like Gonzales in order to thrive. You can read the whole story here. Makes one think - and dream!
Gonzales could be considered a shining example of the vision of Joel Klein, the previous chancellor of the New York City schools, who aimed to transform every principal "from an agent of bureaucracy to the CEO of his or her own school'. But Gonzales was not only following the 'chief executive' approach but was clearly displaying an 'entrepreneurial spirit', akin to a founder of a scrappy startup.
He finds creative ways to bring in money (boot-strapping). He personally invests time in building his faculty and guiding them (shaping team and culture) knowing that it is key to success. Gonzales realizes that perceptions matter and pays attention to seemingly small things like greeting students at the door (marketing) and he cares about the outcomes for individual students (customer focus). The most important quality of a startup founder/CEO is that he doesn't give up easily and so far, Gonzales appears to be digging his heels in and refusing to give up ground to charter schools.
It is easy to understand how our economy relies on entrepreneurship for growth but it takes a little imagination to see how that could extend to education too. Maybe our schools need entrepreneurial educators like Gonzales in order to thrive. You can read the whole story here. Makes one think - and dream!
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