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you're asking this question in a thread about Mark Cuban... yes, 100% salespeople

by saudioger 8y ago

someguydave 8y ago
That’s depressing. So Nikola Tesla was a loser poser but your local slimey used car salesman is the ideal entrepreneur?
- bradstewart 8y ago
  Not all salesmen are slimey used car salesmen.
- saudioger 8y ago
  I mean... how does history not already tell you this? Nearly every person we remember as a historical figure was able to "sell" something to get there. The typical exception to this is the person who did something interesting, but someone else sold it for them after they died. In the eyes of their lifetimes and most of history, Edison won the Tesla v Edison battle nearly 100%. Edison was a vastly better salesperson. If you ask the average person who Nikola Tesla was today, they'd probably say something about the car company. Elon Musk sells the name Tesla better than Tesla himself ever did. If your idea of success is obtaining money or changing hearts and minds, you better learn how to sell (or I guess you could devise a spectacularly dangerous weapon).
  - someguydave 8y ago
    I suppose the question at the root of it is: can you determine someone's "entrepreneurialness" completely by looking at their total profit (or maybe total revenue)? Or is there more to it than that? For instance, Tesla's ideas were used extensively by others to make money. Is the fact that he personally didn't capture that revenue with is own account take away from his "entrepreneurialness" score?
    - troygoode 8y ago
      Inventor =/= Entrepreneur. Tesla was an amazing inventor and an objectively bad businessman.
- deepthought42 8y ago
  Nikola Tesla as a brilliant engineer and scientist. At one point he was even one of the wealthiest in NY, he didn't get there by being a "loser poser" he got there by making sales after he created his invention. The first installation of AC generators in Niagra falls didn't get there because he accidently fell into it. Make no mistake, Tesla had to be damned good at sales and engineering to get someone to put so much money up and take such a huge risk on Tesla's AC technology. Don't get me wrong, it helped that he had patents, but there was definitely sales involved.

you're asking this question in a thread about Mark Cuban... yes, 100% salespeople

someguydave 8y ago

That’s depressing. So Nikola Tesla was a loser poser but your local slimey used car salesman is the ideal entrepreneur?

bradstewart 8y ago
Not all salesmen are slimey used car salesmen.
saudioger 8y ago
I mean... how does history not already tell you this? Nearly every person we remember as a historical figure was able to "sell" something to get there. The typical exception to this is the person who did something interesting, but someone else sold it for them after they died. In the eyes of their lifetimes and most of history, Edison won the Tesla v Edison battle nearly 100%. Edison was a vastly better salesperson. If you ask the average person who Nikola Tesla was today, they'd probably say something about the car company. Elon Musk sells the name Tesla better than Tesla himself ever did. If your idea of success is obtaining money or changing hearts and minds, you better learn how to sell (or I guess you could devise a spectacularly dangerous weapon).
- someguydave 8y ago
  I suppose the question at the root of it is: can you determine someone's "entrepreneurialness" completely by looking at their total profit (or maybe total revenue)? Or is there more to it than that? For instance, Tesla's ideas were used extensively by others to make money. Is the fact that he personally didn't capture that revenue with is own account take away from his "entrepreneurialness" score?
  - troygoode 8y ago
    Inventor =/= Entrepreneur. Tesla was an amazing inventor and an objectively bad businessman.
deepthought42 8y ago
Nikola Tesla as a brilliant engineer and scientist. At one point he was even one of the wealthiest in NY, he didn't get there by being a "loser poser" he got there by making sales after he created his invention. The first installation of AC generators in Niagra falls didn't get there because he accidently fell into it. Make no mistake, Tesla had to be damned good at sales and engineering to get someone to put so much money up and take such a huge risk on Tesla's AC technology. Don't get me wrong, it helped that he had patents, but there was definitely sales involved.