James Hong from "Founders at Work": "And nothing ever goes according to plan. You can’t dwell on the fact that your plan didn’t work. In our case, we didn’t ev

James Hong from "Founders at Work": "And nothing ever goes according to plan. You can’t dwell on the fact that your plan didn’t work. In our case, we didn’t even have a plan, but it would have been worthless to have one anyway, since we just kept moving as fast as we could. You have to hustle; you can’t just have a plan and cakewalk it. You just have to know what direction you’re going in and run around like a rat in a maze trying to get out." Had James posted a question in a forum like this seeking advice at that early, clueless stage in his company's history, you probably would have chided him for his lack of sufficient up-front planning. Yet his story is indicative of many of the other founders profiled in the book, and many other founders that I admire. The reason these founders are successful is not because they are master planners, it's because they are master improvisers, a quality shared, I believe, by good parents. Yes, kids are like startups, but pre-birth plans will change, and they are not what will make you successful as a founder or a parent. And if you haven't had kids or started a company, then your advice in those realms doesn't carry much weight.