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How Entrepreneurs Can Create Their Own Luck
- DanielRibeiro 15y agoNice discussion. Remined me of what Github's Founder Tom Preston Werner said last year on Startup School[1]. And remined me of the great article recently mentioned[2] by Duck Duck Go's founder Gabriel Weinberg: How to Increase Your Luck Surface Area [3] [1] http://www.justin.tv/startupschool/b/272178966 http://www.justin.tv/startupschool/b/272178966 [2] http://www.gabrielweinberg.com/blog/2011/10/what-i-learned-from-raising-venture-capital.html http://www.gabrielweinberg.com/blog/2011/10/what-i-learned-f... [3] http://www.codusoperandi.com/posts/increasing-your-luck-surface-area http://www.codusoperandi.com/posts/increasing-your-luck-surf...
- samdjohnson 15y agoI don't know about you guys, but James Altucher is one of my favorite bloggers on the net right now.
- sayemm 15y agoGreat post by James Altucher here, one of my favorites regarding luck and startups is also this one about market timing: "Market Timing is a Skill Not Luck" - http://altgate.com/blog/2008/12/market-timing-is-a-skill-not-luck.html http://altgate.com/blog/2008/12/market-timing-is-a-skill-not...
- F_J_H 15y agoWhat a great post. Being Canadian, something didn't sit right with me with the Gretzky quote. I think the corrected version "skate to where the puck is going to be" is likely what the author meant. Here are two of Gretzky's actual quotes: "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." and "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." Another one of my favorite Gretzky quotes - "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
- shaggyfrog 15y agoThe mis-quote stuck out for me, too. "Skating to where the puck is", is actually exactly what Gretzky was saying not to do. It threw me off the entire piece -- as soon as I see something fundamental so totally wrong, I find it hard to concentrate on the rest of the message.
- ootachi 15y ago"We know that the right place for right now is somewhere in social media." Really? This seems to imply that every startup should be about social. People thought that Google would never succeed because search was cornered by Yahoo and AltaVista. I would think that VC-funded startups that are aiming for huge successes should take the opposite advice: look for holes in industries that aren't widely considered to be the "hottest thing" and create a market. Don't try to cash in on a gold rush in which there are thousands of players doing the same thing. "Don’t start a soft drink company competing against Coca-Cola." I'm pretty sure we have a Coca-Cola in the social space. It's called Facebook.
- radley 15y ago"Don’t start a soft drink company competing against Coca-Cola." Tell that to Red Bull...
- vinutheraj 15y agoPeople thought that Google would never succeed because search was cornered by Yahoo and AltaVista. I'm pretty sure we have a Coca-Cola in the social space. It's called Facebook. Aren't these arguments contradictory ?
- ballard 15y agoTL;DR there is already plenty of luck. Free version: Ch. 49 :: Innovation Make it fucking awesome. Listen to most feedback ostensibly. Ch. 0 :: Magic (Can't tell you if you don't already know.) Ch. 1 :: Luck Be fucking awesome. And always prepared to hustle. Ch. 2 :: Hotness, or: Lasers and Nukes in a Supernova's Clit Be fucking awesome. Everywhere cool soon enough, early out. Ch. 3 :: Closing Be fucking awesome. You have "Too much mind." Ch. 4 :: $ Be fucking awesome. Keep those that crush it. Be cheap where it counts and not where it doesn't. Ch. 5 :: Unquestionable Absolute Silence Keep mouths fucking shut by having demonstrated a faded red mactools rolling automotive cart full of rusty visegrip needle-nose pliers and an acetylene blowtorch. BPO taken to a new level. Ch. 6 :: Fun Look at those 3 words again. Life short ; go fast.