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Arram followed the advice I normally give people applying to startups for non-technical jobs that have no relevant experience: he prepared tremendously for his
by justin 14y ago
Arram followed the advice I normally give people applying to startups for non-technical jobs that have no relevant experience: he prepared tremendously for his interview and actually came with real suggestions on things we should do, and visualized himself in the position. On paper, he wasn't someone we would have considered (his previous experience was as a security guard and ice cream scooper with no college degree). But, out of all the candidates, Arram was the only one who had prepared as if he had already gotten the job and was going over first steps.
We actually ended up hiring someone else as the community manager, but I was impressed with Arram and wanted to find a place for him at Justin.tv, so we created the "grab bag of unwanted tasks." While he fluctuated between doing those things well and sometimes not as well, he became a contributing member of the team.
Because we were paying Arram not so much, I told him he should start doing the lunch ordering for a few friends' companies for some side cash, and pretty soon after he came to me and told me he was quitting.
Out of all the people who have "graduated" from Justin.tv, I'm most proud of Arram. His drive to start a company is incredible, and he's done it despite the odds. Proud to say I'm an investor in ZeroCater and I think he's going to make me some money as well.
- ultimoo 14y agoReading inspiring stories like this makes me realize how much of entrepreneurship is about taking risks rather than hard work. Moving to another place with a few thousand dollars in your pocket, quitting a stable job without a firm idea in mind, figuring things out as you go. There may have been dozens of well prepared and hard working candidates available that day, but probably none were out of job and interviewing for Justin.tv at the time Arram was. There are also always tons of people working at perfectly great jobs, but a very few of us have the gut to stop working and forge a company built on nothing but determination to succeed.
- alaskamiller 14y agoYou're first step is to switch mindsets. You see it as taking risks versus hard work, then placing value on them. I see taking risk just hard work. Just $500 left in my checking account? Work harder. No college degree? Work harder. Work hard to be able to take risks. Everything else will be crystal clear thereafter.
- beachstartup 14y ago> taking risks rather than hard work. it's both. and appetite for risk is not the belief that nothing bad will happen, it's the belief that you will be able to handle anything that happens, no matter how bad. it's being at peace with the fact that bad things will happen. most people live their entire lives trying to avoid bad situations that don't exist in reality, but rather live in their imaginations. in my opinion they are completely delusional. a lot of entrepreneurs have been totally broke or were poor in the past - in my mind, this is what allows them to continually take risks. they know exactly what it's like being broke and struggling, it's not a mystery. it has no power over them. they simply don't care if they end up going broke. they know what it is, and how to climb back out.
- _lex 14y agoWhen you had him book orders for your friends, did you see it as a business opportunity, or just a problem that needed solving?
- justin 14y agoI saw it as a business opportunity for him, but I thought it would be a much smaller business.
- _lex 14y agoThanks for responding - I've been wondering about this ever since I heard the story behind ZeroC. It adds a different sort of color to things, and shows that you were trying to help him reach his goal of doing a startup the whole time. Kudos.