Ask HN: How can I tell if I'm working with a savvy business person? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I'm working with a savvy business person?

#21

Post by e40 » Tue, Apr 07, 2009, 4:34 PM UTC

Someone that made a lot of money once... may be savvy. Someone who has repeatedly made money on different ventures... very likely savvy.

There are a lot of people that hit the tech lotto because of being in the right place at the right time (e.g., google employee #20). There are many fewer that have hit after hit.

My experience (direct and indirect) says that someone that is business savvy will likely leave you feeling fucked over. To be successful in business you often have to push the boundaries of what is legal and acceptable to most people.

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I'm working with a savvy business person?

#22

Post by rodrigo » Tue, Apr 07, 2009, 4:41 PM UTC

trapper wrote: post #7

It is very hard. A few warning signs I have noticed over the years: - Superficial knowledge, but claim they know the field. When you dig deeper you find knowledge lacking. Wikipedia can help uncover this sometimes, amazingly. - Do not read new business books. - Haven't heard of "classic" books in the business world, e.g. good to great, crossing the chasm etc - Business model based on a poor understanding of technolog…

You're rigth, I guess if you apply what PG have said about hackers to business people you have it.

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I'm working with a savvy business person?

#23

Post by trapper » Wed, Apr 08, 2009, 12:46 AM UTC

gabrielroth wrote: post #16

trapper wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say yes. Thirst for knowledge is a common trait I have noticed amongst the repeatedly successful, and usually manifests itself by having read most of the literature on ones topic. Perhaps you are overestimating how long it takes to read a business book. Most can be finished in a few hours due to their padding, and reading 10+ new books per year shouldn't be hard even for the uber-busy. It's not like reading a…

I totally agree re: thirst for knowledge. But I'd be more impressed by a business guy who read widely _outside_ his field. Tangent: one way in which the internet and e-books will definitely affect book publishing, for the better, is that there will be less need to stretch a single idea to book length. Many nonfiction books should really be ~30,000 words long, and once everyone has a Kindle there's no reason for them…

The field of business is very large:

Sales, marketing, accounting, project management, finance, legal, strategy, intellectual property, human resources, presentations, customer development, branding, writing, business planning and more are all topics that good business guys understand well.

Add into that the market specific knowledge (manufacturing, regulations, distribution channels etc) and you have a pretty broad reading list.

Most do have pretty detailed domain specific knowledge from working in that industry in some capacity.

Tangent: Agreed, though hopefully < 30k.

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I'm working with a savvy business person?

#24

Post by trapper » Wed, Apr 08, 2009, 1:06 AM UTC

FictiveCameron wrote: post #20

Im a "business guy" out of Stanford GSB and if I was going to look for a hacker, I would expect to see a list of things that s/he had done. The more impressive that list the more likely I would be to work with that person. Seems to me you should simply take the flip side. For me, savvy isn't the right word. There is something very self-interested about it. Instead, I would look for a business person who has actually…

By reading books and simply regurgitating the most recent tagline of a management fad you are doing it wrong.

Business books are a primarily a source of other peoples failures and successes. Businesses have such a long gestation cycle that it doesn't make financial sense to make the mistakes yourself.

In those business people I have met that aren't well read, often times their entire business strategy could be drastically improved by reading a couple of seminal pieces. But, for them, ignorance is bliss. I know which one I would choose.

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I'm working with a savvy business person?

#25

Post by Brushfire » Wed, Apr 08, 2009, 5:29 AM UTC

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #14

Brushfire wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With all due respect, references are worthless. The person wont give you references of people who wont give him glowing reviews. Perhaps past employers might work, but I think what you say about their track record is really the only way, outside of just knowing someone or a referral from someone you trust.

References are far from useless. It's like interviewing: if you let the candidate give you fluffy BS answers you'll get snowed every time. Listen carefully and dig deep. Don't just settle for "I know this guy and he made me a bunch of money." Ask the reference what the guy did to make money, what was his plan, how they met, why he decided to work with him, why they aren't working together any more. Imagine you're sit…

Sorry, I just dont see it that way.

Interviews are also notoriously bad for hiring. They may make you feel better about a person, but they arent actually better at predicting future outcomes most of the time.

History and Examples are much, much more valid for everyone. For example. who needs references when I could just SHOW you something I did. What would you trust more -- some stranger, or your own eyes and ears?