3 ms·

FWIW, this is what pushes energy and opportunity into the entrepreneurial marketplace. You work in these companies as a contractor, learn about problems and sta

FWIW, this is what pushes energy and opportunity into the entrepreneurial marketplace. You work in these companies as a contractor, learn about problems and start something new. Crowdfunding and free marketing distribution platforms exist to aid your small venture. Just as this old story may be less likely today, new stories of entrepreneurship continue to be written without the inclusion of PepsiCo. If anything these giants exist as acquirers.

Frondo 7y ago
I don't think any janitor working for an outsourced company is learning about problems. For the most part, people try to ignore that the cleaning staff are there at all. They don't talk to them and they certainly don't engage with them as equals -- for the most part, of course. How would a janitor working for Aramark, emptying trash cans after everyone's left for the day, "learn about problems and start something new"? Even the "start something new" bit doesn't really make sense. You're going to get an appointment with a funder on the pitch of "I'm a janitor with Aramark, and lately I've been working at the Johnson corp...."?
- camjohnson26 7y ago
  Even back then most janitors did not rise through the ranks. Montañez specifically went above and beyond his job responsibilities to network, learn about the business, and be the best janitor on staff. His success still required luck and maybe that kind of luck is hard to find these days, but he was also prepared to take advantage of that luck when it arrived. Most workers, no matter their level, just do the bare minimum to get by.
  - bredren 7y ago
    Yes, the key is this person looked at their entire job differently. They never were looking to only be an average janitor. Jan Koum went from welfare to WhatsApp with his key job as a contractor to yahoo via Ernst & Young. This is about the person and how they use resources at hand. The loss of corporate identity in low levels positions may have fallen away but other opportunities now exist.
crankylinuxuser 7y ago
> FWIW, this is what pushes energy and opportunity into the entrepreneurial marketplace. You work in these companies as a contractor, learn about problems and start something new. There's an awfully lot of implied and stated "IFs" in that sentence. One can only tap the 'entrepreneurial marketplace' if you have or have access to Capital. That marketplace has no room for low paid people, with low to no influence. And another thing about starting on the ground floor of a company is being part of the culture and changing it from within. Whereas a "contractor" is just some 3rd party interloper that already has the skills and technique to be hired for a specific set of highly qualified skills. And if you think a CEO would listen to a gig-economy'd janitor or through Manpower, try asking them. > Crowdfunding and free marketing distribution platforms exist to aid your small venture. To recommend crowdfunding as some solution is a joke. Again, you need Capital to make the 2 minute catchy video and slick marketing to get people. And those vids usually cost around USD 20k to 50k. I guess you could go the beggars route and use a gofundme. But usually people are in the similar socioeconomic status as their family, friends and peers.
- bredren 7y ago
  People get tons attention for stuff without capital. And the means to do so, (any smartphone and a tiktok account) are closer to the hands of a poor person than a phone call to a CEO ever was. It may be unlikely, but no more so than the incredible story told in this article.

Frondo 7y ago

I don't think any janitor working for an outsourced company is learning about problems. For the most part, people try to ignore that the cleaning staff are there at all. They don't talk to them and they certainly don't engage with them as equals -- for the most part, of course. How would a janitor working for Aramark, emptying trash cans after everyone's left for the day, "learn about problems and start something new"? Even the "start something new" bit doesn't really make sense. You're going to get an appointment with a funder on the pitch of "I'm a janitor with Aramark, and lately I've been working at the Johnson corp...."?

camjohnson26 7y ago
Even back then most janitors did not rise through the ranks. Montañez specifically went above and beyond his job responsibilities to network, learn about the business, and be the best janitor on staff. His success still required luck and maybe that kind of luck is hard to find these days, but he was also prepared to take advantage of that luck when it arrived. Most workers, no matter their level, just do the bare minimum to get by.
- bredren 7y ago
  Yes, the key is this person looked at their entire job differently. They never were looking to only be an average janitor. Jan Koum went from welfare to WhatsApp with his key job as a contractor to yahoo via Ernst & Young. This is about the person and how they use resources at hand. The loss of corporate identity in low levels positions may have fallen away but other opportunities now exist.

crankylinuxuser 7y ago

> FWIW, this is what pushes energy and opportunity into the entrepreneurial marketplace. You work in these companies as a contractor, learn about problems and start something new. There's an awfully lot of implied and stated "IFs" in that sentence. One can only tap the 'entrepreneurial marketplace' if you have or have access to Capital. That marketplace has no room for low paid people, with low to no influence. And another thing about starting on the ground floor of a company is being part of the culture and changing it from within. Whereas a "contractor" is just some 3rd party interloper that already has the skills and technique to be hired for a specific set of highly qualified skills. And if you think a CEO would listen to a gig-economy'd janitor or through Manpower, try asking them. > Crowdfunding and free marketing distribution platforms exist to aid your small venture. To recommend crowdfunding as some solution is a joke. Again, you need Capital to make the 2 minute catchy video and slick marketing to get people. And those vids usually cost around USD 20k to 50k. I guess you could go the beggars route and use a gofundme. But usually people are in the similar socioeconomic status as their family, friends and peers.

bredren 7y ago
People get tons attention for stuff without capital. And the means to do so, (any smartphone and a tiktok account) are closer to the hands of a poor person than a phone call to a CEO ever was. It may be unlikely, but no more so than the incredible story told in this article.