I'm sure people will say it in various ways, but one's path in life is (far) smoother if they have a track record - something people can see and relate to. It

I'm sure people will say it in various ways, but one's path in life is (far) smoother if they have a track record - something people can see and relate to. It might be serial startups, it might be open-source success, it might be commercial success. Starting out, it's a transcript. There's gobs of people out there. Differentiate yourself, so that people actually care when you talk to them.