One of our Shotput Ventures speakers from three years ago gave a great talk about his experiences as an entrepreneur. About halfway through his talk he was giving advice about what to look for in a mentor and angel investor and he said a line I’ll never forget: watch out for someone who is rich because they were in the hallway when the money ball exploded. The idea is that some people had immense financial luck without gaining the experience of building a sustainable business because they were at the right place at the right time.
Josh James, the co-founder of Omniture and Domo, sent a tweet out recently saying that sometimes success comes in spite of what you did and not because of it — pay attention to the truth:
#JJSR 41
Sometimes your success was in spite of what u did not because of it. Decipher & change or unapologetically reproduce.—
Josh James (@joshjames) March 21, 2012
The next time you’re seeking a mentor or angel investor find out if they were in the hallway when the money ball exploded or if they were something else.
What else? What are your thoughts on deciphering how success was achieved by someone?
