The Best Entrepreneur I Know • Hacker News Board

Re: The Best Entrepreneur I Know

#11

Post by iolothebard » Mon, Jan 19, 2015, 10:41 PM UTC

beat wrote: post #3

There's a lot more to entrepreneurship than the weird little bubble of software startups. Entrepreneurs are just people who take a chance in order to make a real difference. I grew up poor, and one of the hardest things about being poor is that there are so few role models for success. Except for teachers, I didn't know anyone educated. Except for the people my father worked for (and mostly hated), I didn't know anyo…

I wanted to be a cat burglar as a kid.

In all the studying, learning, planning and risk assessment I realized it's easier and less risky to just go to college. That and stealing isn't really something to aspire to in life.

Probably why I didn't stay in finance/accounting/banking. At least salesmen have to convince you of their lies, the money wonks just take it out of your account every month.

Re: The Best Entrepreneur I Know

#12

Post by DigitalSea » Mon, Jan 19, 2015, 10:42 PM UTC

This is a really heart-warming and great read.

I think a lot of businesses tech and non-tech alike can take a page out of Dennis' book. You're not just running a business, for some, it can be a much more personal experience if you are willing to make the effort. As the author Don points out, he is willing to drive 30 minutes to not only see his mother, but also to get his haircut. You can't buy that kind of customer loyalty.

As with most things in life, sometimes just listening is all you need to do. Listen to your customers, make them feel important and valued. Surprisingly simple, but something most businesses fail to do.

Re: The Best Entrepreneur I Know

#13

Post by SwellJoe » Mon, Jan 19, 2015, 10:49 PM UTC

meric wrote: post #10

SwellJoe wrote: post #8

I'm happy to see there's been a lot more discussion lately in Silicon Valley and entrepreneurial communities, in general, about the importance of role models who are people of color and women. This article only covers one side of that (not that it is less interesting or touching for not covering the other side)...the other side is that until white folks in our industry, or in other industries, are regularly seeing an…

It's important for people to have role models they can identify with. And role models are selected by those who are looking for them, not by the government.

Government can definitely play a role, however, in how many kids grow up to become role models. We could talk about the prison industrial complex and the rate at which it imprisons young black and brown folks, compared to white folks, even for crimes that are committed by white folks at the same rate or higher (like drug crimes; white folks do more drugs and serve less time for it than black folks). Felons don't often become leaders in the business world.

There are systemic changes that are needed to fix this problem. I didn't think it was particularly relevant to this article so I explicitly excluded it from my comment, but one cannot deny that government plays a huge role in all of this.

Re: The Best Entrepreneur I Know

#14

Post by jacquesm » Mon, Jan 19, 2015, 11:25 PM UTC

Beats a new way to share cats online for me. If you want to see what 'change the world' means look no further than this.

Re: The Best Entrepreneur I Know

#15

Post by meric » Mon, Jan 19, 2015, 11:27 PM UTC

SwellJoe wrote: post #13

meric wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's important for people to have role models they can identify with. And role models are selected by those who are looking for them, not by the government.

Government can definitely play a role, however, in how many kids grow up to become role models. We could talk about the prison industrial complex and the rate at which it imprisons young black and brown folks, compared to white folks, even for crimes that are committed by white folks at the same rate or higher (like drug crimes; white folks do more drugs and serve less time for it than black folks). Felons don't ofte…

The problems of today are only due to the roles government was playing yesterday. The government only needs to do less and society will fix itself. The people are in prison only because of government in the first place. Felons are only restricted from working because of the government. The danger of saying it's the government's job is we as individuals begin to absolve ourselves of responsibility, because we start to think its someone else's problem.

Re: The Best Entrepreneur I Know

#16

Post by SwellJoe » Mon, Jan 19, 2015, 11:40 PM UTC

meric wrote: post #15

SwellJoe wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Government can definitely play a role, however, in how many kids grow up to become role models. We could talk about the prison industrial complex and the rate at which it imprisons young black and brown folks, compared to white folks, even for crimes that are committed by white folks at the same rate or higher (like drug crimes; white folks do more drugs and serve less time for it than black folks). Felons don't ofte…

The problems of today are only due to the roles government was playing yesterday. The government only needs to do less and society will fix itself. The people are in prison only because of government in the first place. Felons are only restricted from working because of the government. The danger of saying it's the government's job is we as individuals begin to absolve ourselves of responsibility, because we start to…

I'm an anarchist. You're preaching to the choir on that front. I think the police soft strike in NYC is the most fun thing in the world right now.

But, until the rest of the world is convinced that police are an outdated artifact of a dark age in human history and should be abolished, we have to reform the laws that inflict "justice" dramatically unevenly across races and classes.

Re: The Best Entrepreneur I Know

#17

Post by cshenoy » Tue, Jan 20, 2015, 12:10 AM UTC

strukturedkaos wrote: post #5

slimetree wrote: post #4

This made me smile, but it would've been nice to read more about what he and Dennis actually talked about.

Thanks for reading! I would love to go into more detail about what we talked about, but it varies so much from session to session. I could write an entire book on our conversations.

A book on your conversations with him could be a fascinating read. Just sayin...

Re: The Best Entrepreneur I Know

#18

Post by meric » Tue, Jan 20, 2015, 12:15 AM UTC

SwellJoe wrote: post #16

meric wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problems of today are only due to the roles government was playing yesterday. The government only needs to do less and society will fix itself. The people are in prison only because of government in the first place. Felons are only restricted from working because of the government. The danger of saying it's the government's job is we as individuals begin to absolve ourselves of responsibility, because we start to…

I'm an anarchist. You're preaching to the choir on that front. I think the police soft strike in NYC is the most fun thing in the world right now. But, until the rest of the world is convinced that police are an outdated artifact of a dark age in human history and should be abolished, we have to reform the laws that inflict "justice" dramatically unevenly across races and classes.

I think, to improve the environment around us, what matters most is our mindset. If the way we think is best suited to the environment we aspire to live in, the environment will change. To reduce the people's dependence on the government, independence as a trait must be promoted. That means convincing people their lives are up to them, and not to wait for the government to do something. You know as well as I do the governments of 2015 are dysfunctional and power hungry enough they're not going to do anything of the sort you're hoping for, even if it earnestly tries, even ObamaCare as well as interference in Syria and Iraq was a mess.

To change the world, we first cultivate ourselves, and then our family, community, and radiate outwards, and finally the world will be changed.

Confucius

When things are investigated, then true knowledge is achieved; when true knowledge is achieved, then the will becomes sincere; when the will is sincere, then the heart is set right (or then the mind sees right); when the heart is set right, then the personal life is cultivated; when the personal life is cultivated, then the family life is regulated; when the family life is regulated, then the national life is orderly; and when the national life is orderly, then there is peace in this world.

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 54.

What is firmly established cannot be uprooted.

What is firmly grasped cannot slip away.

It will be honoured from generation to generation.

Cultivate Virtue in yourself,

And Virtue will be real.

Cultivate it in the family,

And Virtue will abound.

Cultivate it in the village,

And Virtue will grow.

Cultivate it in the nation,

And Virtue will be abundant.

Cultivate it in the universe,

And Virtue will be everywhere.

Therefore look at the body as body;

Look at the family as family;

Look at the village as village;

Look at the nation as nation;

Look at the universe as universe.

How do I know the universe is like this?

By looking!

Re: The Best Entrepreneur I Know

#19

Post by Florin_Andrei » Tue, Jan 20, 2015, 12:42 AM UTC

meric wrote: post #15

SwellJoe wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Government can definitely play a role, however, in how many kids grow up to become role models. We could talk about the prison industrial complex and the rate at which it imprisons young black and brown folks, compared to white folks, even for crimes that are committed by white folks at the same rate or higher (like drug crimes; white folks do more drugs and serve less time for it than black folks). Felons don't ofte…

The problems of today are only due to the roles government was playing yesterday. The government only needs to do less and society will fix itself. The people are in prison only because of government in the first place. Felons are only restricted from working because of the government. The danger of saying it's the government's job is we as individuals begin to absolve ourselves of responsibility, because we start to…

> The government only needs to do less and society will fix itself.

And by "fix itself" you mean it will shift even more wealth from the lower 75% to the top 1% - who will step in to fill the power void.

"Money begets money, power begets power." Society is full of self-reinforcing feedback loops like that. You need a damping factor that prevents any single individual or corporation from amassing too much power.

Re: The Best Entrepreneur I Know

#20

Post by abalone » Tue, Jan 20, 2015, 1:16 AM UTC

Fantastic man, and barbershops have long played an important role in African-American communities.

But as to the comment about MLK, it would be a mistake to comprehend the civil rights movement as being embodied in entrepreneurialism.

This being a startup community of entrepreneurs, it is tempting for us to celebrate the power of individual free enterprise paired with social cause. And that is noble. But the civil rights movement stands for organized action to fight racism at a systemic level. It is the more conservative, privileged sector that focuses on "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" individual entrepreneurialism as the pathway to racial equality.

The civil rights movement is about organized mass action to address the racism and disadvantages inherent in white-dominated institutions and social relations. That is what MLK stood for: fixing white racism and structural inequality, not merely black role models and self-esteem.