Giving something a shot, failing and then trying again through another route is a part of start-ups and entrepreneurial work ethics. You take risks in order to strike the BIG time and that can hold true for finding the right people and expertise for your venture too. Start-ups often go through several hires and partnership changes before the right talent is found. While most people would blame themselves for the wrong choices, the great thing about entrepreneurs is they can turn failure into lessons, laugh it off and move forward. On the topic of finding the expertise required by a venture and seeing the lighter side of start-ups, here is some entrepreneur humor which highlights what we’re talking about perfectly!
An entrepreneur attended an auction at which he won the bid on an old safe. With dreams of a large fortune inside, he was told that the business from which the safe originated was so long defunct, that no one had the combination. Undaunted, he called a locksmith to try to get the safe open.
The first locksmith told the entrepreneur that it would cost forty dollars to open the safe intact. However, tried as he might, he couldn’t open it, and told the wealthy man that he had lost his money in buying the safe.
The entrepreneur then contacted another locksmith, a crusty, bent old man with three days’ growth of white whiskers, who took a long look at the safe, noted its manufacturer and retired to his truck. Shortly, he returned with a power drill, a ruler, and a small, bent piece of metal.
The locksmith measured a few inches from the dial and marked an “x” at the “2 o’clock” mark. It took more than half an hour for the old man to drill through the safe’s door. He then took the bent metal, hooked it through the hole and fished around a few moments until a loud “CLICK” was heard. Turning the handle the door swung open slowly.
The safe was empty.
Disappointed, the entrepreneur turned to the locksmith and asked the charge for opening the safe.
“A hundred and twenty dollars,” replied the locksmith.
“A hundred and twenty dollars?!” shouted the businessman, “That’s outrageous! The other man only wanted forty! I want an itemized bill for it!”
“Okay.” The locksmith turned on his heel and returned to his truck. A few minutes later, the entrepreneur was presented with a dirty piece of paper upon which the locksmith had written:
Charge for drilling hole: $20
Charge for knowing WHERE to drill hole: $100.
(source: http://www.jokebuddha.com/Entrepreneur)
A premium for acquiring the very best talent and top notch expertise which could prove invaluable for your start-up is often worth it! Sure…in this case the safe was empty but it if it wasn’t (the idea was fundamentally a runaway success), then the locksmith who knew WHERE to drill would get you to your goal far quicker. With startups, speed of execution is of the essence and that can mean finding the expertise required whether in marketing, legal, technical areas or other areas where it can provide a boost.
The Grow VC community features experts from across functions with specialized skills and experience which could be just what an entrepreneur needs. Whether it’s looking for partners, advisors or service providers, the community is a one stop place where the right expertise can be found. If you’re looking for the guys who knows WHERE to drill the hole, then this (www.growvc.com) is WHERE you’ll find them!
