gary vaynerchuk - alex hammer books · “the gary vaynerchuk primer. success principles from wine...

TheOnlineSuccessLeadersVolume1

(GaryVaynerchuk,JasonCalacanis,BrianTracy,KaraSwisherandDavidCohen)ByAlexHammerAuthorof“TheLawsandSecretsofSuccess”

PhotoCredits:GaryVaynerchuk-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gary_Vaynerchuk_by_Erik_Kastner.jpg“ThisisafilefromtheWikimediaCommons.”JasonCalacanis-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jason_Calacanis_(6723612583).jpg“ThisisafilefromtheWikimediaCommons.”BrianTracy-http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Brian_Tracy.jpg“ThisisafilefromtheWikimediaCommons.”KaraSwisher-http://allthingsd.com/about/UsedwithpermissionofKaraSwisher.DavidCohen(photosuppliedpreviouslybyDavidCohen).

INTRODUCTION

Thesearetheleadersofthenewcentury.TheOnlineCentury.

IstheInternetasrevolutionaryastheprintingpress?Thediscoveryofelectricity?Thecreationofthecarandairplane?

Whatisthefutureofouronlineworld?Virtualreality?Virtualpersonalassistants?Wearablecomputing(thinkGoogleGlassandNikeFuelBandforstarters).

Thisisabookofkeyinfluencers,earlyadoptersandmarketmakers.YouknowaboutMarkZuckerbergandLarryPage.ThesearetheZuckerbergsandPageswho,whilealsowellknown,arenotyetasNationalhouseholdnames(ok,BrianTracymayalreadybe).

Butthey’reclose.Andtheimpacttheyarehavingisimmense.

GaryVaynerchuk

GaryVaynerchukWikipediaBio:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_VaynerchukGaryVaynerchukPrimarywebsite:http://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/

Visionary.Relentless.Fearless.Strong.Garyknowsthatheisawinner.ItisinhisDNA.

Let’sstartoffwith“TheGaryVaynerchukPrimer”,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFT62TBhi90,

a15minuteYouTubevideoIdiddetailingthesuccessprinciplesthatwecanlearnfromGary.Hereisthetranscript:

“TheGaryVaynerchukPrimer.SuccessprinciplesfromWineLibraryTVtoVaynermedia.WhataresomeofthesuccessprinciplesofGaryVaynerchukthatwecanlearnandapplytowhatwedo?Herewego.

Garyisknownforquiteafewthings,andhe’sthetypeofindividualthatyouwouldn’twanttotryandpigeon-holeinanyway.Butperhapsthefirstthingthatcomestomindforalotofpeopleishisloveandadvocacyfor“thehustle”.

Garycontinuallysaysthatheisnotafraidtogethisfingernailsdirty,heenjoysthejourney.Ithinkthatallgreatsuccessfulpeoplelovewhattheydoandtheydoitonlyforitsownsake.

Ifyou’rejustdoingthingsjusttogetrich,firstofallyou’reprobablynotgoingtomakeit,becausetheworldistoocompetitive.Ifyoudon’tlovewhatyoudo,whentheotherpersonisworkingallnighttogetdonewhattheyneedtogetdonebecausetheyloveit,andyou’rejustdoingitbecauseyou’retryingtoforceyourselftodoit,atacertainpointyou’regoingtobreakdown.

Gary’snaturalpassionandloveforwhathedoes–thereisafamoussaying“followyourbliss–IthinkGary,whenhetalksininterviewsitcomesacrossthatheloveswhathedoes,heiscommittedtowhathedoes,hedoesn’ttoleratebeingaroundpeoplewhoarenotcommittedandpassionateaboutwhattheydo.

He’sanoBSkindofperson.InTechStarshe’safantasticmentorbecausehecutsthroughalltheBS,hecallsaspadeaspade.Hedoesitnottoreallyknockanybodydown,buttobuildpeopleupintermsofwhattheyneedtodotobesuccessful.AndhehasthatdualmentalitythatIthinkiscriticaltosuccess.Hesaiditonarecentinterview.Hesaidontheonesidehe’ssocompetitivethathewantstoripeverybody’sfaceoff,andIthinkthat’salittlebitofaparaphrasebutnotmuch,Ithinkhesaidprettymuchclosejusttothat.

Hesaidevenincheckershewouldwanttorippeople’sfaceoff.Icanidentifywiththat.I’maverycompetitivepersonalso,butyouhavetobeabletochannelitverywell,whichiswhatGarydoes.Hesaysthatisbalancedbytheotherpartthathereallyiskindoflikeaservantmentality,hedidn’tusethattermbutheisalwaystryingtocreatevalueandhelppeoplewhereverhecan.

Ifyoulookathimallthetime,that’sallthatheisabout.He’salwaysonTwitterandotherforumscreatingvalue.Hedoesconferences,hedoesbooks.He’sjustsoinnovative,jam-packedwiththingsthatyoudon’tfindotherplaces.

That’swhatwetrytodointheseseriesalso,reallylookatthingsfromalittledifferentangle,andprovideinformationthatyoucan’tfindotherplaces,becauseifyoudothatthenyou’llalwayshaveanaudience.

IwatchGaryeverydaywhenhehasanewvideoifIcan,andit’salwaysnew,it’salwaysfresh,it’salwaysdifferent.He’sverymuchintopromotion,butyounevergettiredofwatchinghimbecausesomepeopleit’skindoflikeyou’vewatchedthemonceyou’vewatchedthemamilliontimes.It’skindofliketheexampleoftwentyyearsofexperienceversusoneyearofexperiencetwentytimes.YoucouldwatchGaryeverydayanditwouldbetotallydifferent.Itwouldn’tbetotallydifferentbutitwouldbesomuchdifferentthatitwouldbelike,Ihavetowatchthis.

NBChad“must-seeTV”,Garyismust-seevideo,becauseheisnewandheisdifferentandheisalwaysprovidingvalue.

IrecentlywatchedhisElevatekeynote.Ipridemyselfonbeingveryknowledgeableinthesocialmediaspace,buthewasjusttellingmethingafterthingafterthingafterthingthatIdidn’tknow.Eachofthemwasveryimportant.Youfeltlikeyouwereinaheavyweightfightjustgetting“punchdrunk”,becausein18minutesorhoweverlongthekeynotewas,hejustprovidedsuchincrediblevaluethatitwas–Idon’tknowhowmuchpeoplepaidtogothere,youcouldwatchit,itturnedout,thevideoforfree–Gary’sjustworthyourtime,becauseheisgoingtoteachyouthingsthatyoudidn’tknow,andtheyaregoingtoturnouttobethingsaheadofthecurve.

Togetbacktothatexample,therecentinterview,hehasboth,hehasthe,I’mgoingtoripyourfaceoff,nooneisgoingtooutworkme,nooneisgoingtoouthustleme.

Hehasthedisciplinetodowhatneedstobedoneeveryday,notjustthefunstuff,andhehasthecommitmenttostaywiththingsevenwhenthey’renotsuccessful.So,forexample,hetalksaboutwhenhestartedWineLibraryTV,howthefirsttwoyearshehadbasicallyhardlyanysales,almostzero.Buthestillstuckwithit.

Alotofpeopledon’treallyhavetheinnovativeideasthathehas.Evenpeoplewhoareextremelyinnovative,someofthemdon’thavethecommitmentorwhathecallsthestomach,andIagreewiththat,toreallyknowthatyouareaheadofthecurve,andwhatyou’redoingisprovidingvalue,andthatifyoudothat,andreachacertainscale,thatpeoplewillnoticeyou.

Garydidn’tstartoutbeingfamous.He’sfamousnotbecausehecontactedafewpeople,he’sfamousbecausehecontinuallyprovidedvalueinwaysthatotherpeopledidn’t.

SointhisinterviewGarytalkedaboutbuildingabridge.Hesaidonehalfofthebridgeisjustbeingfanaticalintermsofcompetition,rippingpeople’sfaceoff,tomakesureyoudon’ttolerateanykindofsecondratethings.ThisiskindoflikeSteveJobs.Idon’tthinkGaryislikeSteveJobs.He’snotanastyperson-buthemightbejustasdemanding.

IfIworkedforGary,andIwouldlovetoworkforGary,IlovewhatIdonowalso,itisverysuccessful.Garyisthekindofguywhoisgoingtomakeeveryonebetter.AndIthinkhe’sactuallyaheadofSteveJobsinaway.IthinkGaryhasthesameattentiontodetail,inbeinginnovative,butIthinkhehasfoundawaytodoitsuchthatitisverypalatablealso.

Idon’tthinkGary’sthesamekindofcontrolfreakthatJobswas.ImeanJobswasanincredible,incredibleonceinalifetimetypeofperson,andGary’snotatthatlevelofsuccessyet.ButGary’sinhypergrowthmode.Hetalkedinarecentinterviewaboutgoinginthelast–hegaveacoupleofinterviewsothenumbersareclose,I’mnotsureexactlywhichone–buthesaidhe’sgonefromtwentytotwenty-fiveemployees,totwo-hundredandfiftyemployeesinthelasttwelvetoeighteenmonths.

Youdon’tdothatwithoutreallyknowingwhatyou’redoingandbeingwayaheadofthecurve,sohe’sanextremelystrongmanager.Buthehasverystrongpeopleskills.Ifyoulookathiminhisinterviewshe’stotallynoBS,he’sgoingtogetinpeople’sfacesinaminute,he’snotafraidtodothat,buthe’salsogoingtopatchthingsover,he’sgoingtobefunny,he’sgotaveryengagingpersonality.So,hereallyknowshowtoworkbothsidesofthatcoin.

So,intermsofthesuccessprinciplethatIwastalkingaboutinthatinterview,hecomparesittoabridge.Youcanbuildbridgeswithpeopleandproductsandcompaniesbydoingboth.Bybeingsocompetitivethatyou’regoingtorippeople’sfaceoff,butatthesametimehavingthatservantmentalitywhereyou’regoingtohelppeoplehoweveryoucan,wheneveryoucan.

He’salwaysonTwitter.He’salways–inbooksandinhisseminarsandhislectures–providingvalue,atagrouplevel,onapersonallevel.He’sallaboutansweringpeople’squestionsandbeinghelpful,he’sveryaccessible.Sohe’sdoingbothsidesofthecoin.Whenyou’reverygoodatbothofthem,intermsofthecompetitiveaspectandtheserviceaspect,thenyoudrawthatbridgereallytight,becauseyouanchoritonbothsides.AndIagreewiththat.That’sasuccessprinciplethatanybodycanuse.

So,delvingintothisalittlebitdeeper,hehasthehustle,he’sgettingthingsdonerightaway,he’sgettingthemdonequickly,buthealsohasthepatience,hestuckwithWineLibraryTV,andhe’salwaysaheadofthecurve.I’llgiveyouacoupleofmoreexamplesofthat.He’snotafraidtoreinventhimself.Hewasdoingverysuccessfullyinthewinebusiness,andhewasgettingalotofofferstogoonmajorTVchannelswithawineshow,whichcouldhavemadehimalotofmoney,buthesaidhedidn’twanttogetpigeon-holed.Hedidn’twanttobeknownjustasthe“wineguy”,assuccessfulashewasbeingatthat.Hewantedtobesomethingmore.

Ithinkthatisacharacteristicofallsuccessfulpeople.Theydon’twanttopigeon-holethemselvestoonething.Theywanttocontinuallyreinventthemselvesandgettothenextlevel.Ifeelthatwayinourbusiness.We’vedonealotofextremelyinnovativethingsthathavebeensuccessful,butwe’realwayslookingforwhat’snext.

Garyisthesamething.Helikestogetintoindustriesthathesaysarefatandlazy.AndIthinkpartofthereasonwhyhe’sgonefromtwenty-fivetotwohundredandfiftyemployees,there’salotofsocialmediacompanieswhoaredoingfantasticthings,andIthinkthatsocialmediaingeneralisaverydisruptivefieldsoitattracts

peoplewhoaredisruptive,butheisthedisruptorofthedisruptors.Andthat’sallowedhimtohavehyper-growthfromtwenty-fivetotwo-hundredandfiftyemployees.Imean,nextyear,whoknows,hemaynotbeabletokeepituporhemayhavetwenty-fivehundredemployeesortenthousandemployees,becauseonceyougetthatmomentum.

Evennowhe’snotrestingonhislaurels.He’snotafraidtoreinventhimself.AsIindicated,he’saverystrongmanger,he’sgotverystrongpeopleskills,buthe’sspendingasignificantamountoftime,Idon’tknowhowmuch,butyoucanseeitinhisinterviewsandhiswork,onnewthings.LikeWayneGretzkysaid,don’tskatetothewherethepuckis,heskatestowhereitisgoingtobe.GaryVaynerchukisthesameexactway.Thatiswhyheissosuccessful.

Hetalksalotaboutservicesthatareupandcoming,suchasVine,aservicethathe’son,Medium,hementionsSnapchat,Namely,assomeoftheoneshe’sbeenverybullishon.

He’snotafraidtoreinventhimself.Isawaninterviewthismorninginwhichhesaidhe’sonlyat7,000subscribersonVine,somepeopleareathundredsofthousands,Ithinkthere’safewpeopleinthemillions,buthesayssuccessatoneareadoesn’talwaysnecessarilytranslateimmediatelytosuccessinanotherarea,youstillhavetopayyourdues,youhavetostudyit.

He’snotcontentjusttodohisbooks,whichareincredible.Ireadthathegotareportedover$1milliondealfortenbooks.Hisbooksarefantastic,youdon’tfindthattypeofinformationotherplaces.

He’sspendingalotofhistimenow,oratleastsomeofhistime,learningthesenewservices.HeputsatimeframeininterviewsI’veseenusuallyoftwotothreeyears.Youdon’twanttobetoofaraheadofthecurvebecause,forexample,atApple,theydidthetablet,theNewton,yearsagobutitdidn’tcatchon.Hesaysusuallyatwotothreeyeartimeframe.Hebelievealotoftheseservices,likeVine,andMediumandSnapchat,andI’msurealsoalotofthecompaniesthatheisinvestingin,overacertainperiodoftimearegoingtobeverysuccessful.Heisgettinginonthegroundfloor.That’showyoureallybuildyourselftothefuture.SteveJobswasthesameway.Onethingledtothenext.Firsthereinventedthecomputer,andthenhewentontomusic,andthenhewentontopublishing,beforehediedhewantedtoreinventTV.Obviouslyhedidthesamethingwiththephone.

Soonethingleadstoanother.AndGaryVaynerchuk,Ithinkpotentially,Ithinkhe’sonlyinhislate30’s,somepeopletheygoupandthentheygodownbutIthinkGary’saprettyhumbleguy,Ithinkhe’spaidhisdues,Ithinkthatten,fifteenyearsfromnowhecouldbethenextSteveJobs.We’llhavetowaitandsee.

So,acoupleofotherthingsaboutGary.HehasafewotherconceptsthatIthinkarefantastic.Oneissomethingthathecalls“betterthanzero”.Thistiesintohisnotionofnotbeingafraidtopayyourdues.Hewillgoonanyshowthatwilltakehimtopromotewhathe’sdoing.He’sincrediblybalancedalso.Heisfamilyfirst.Helovesfootball.HelovestheJets.He’sinafantasyfootballleague.Helikeswrestling.Thisallowshimtoidentifywiththecommonaverageperson.Hecantalkataverytechnicalandbusinesslevel,likehedoessometimesatconferences.Buthecanalsotalkataverymainstreampersonallevel,soIthinkheisgoodatbuildingbridgesthatway.Buthis“betterthanzero”conceptisthatwhateveryoudo,evenifit’snotalot,isbetterthannothing.Whateverexposureyoucanget.

Hetalkedthismorningaboutgettingtwentysevenviewersatthebeginning.Twenty-sevenpeoplewhoatthebeginningviewedWineLibrary.Hewasecstatic,becauseheknewthenextdayhewouldshootfor49.

It’skindoflikethegrowwhereyou’replantedidea.It’sallaboutthepursuit,thechase,thejourney.Garyissuccessfulbecausehe’sdoingwhatheloves,he’shappywherehe’satbuthe’snotsatisfied,andthatpassioniscomingthroughtoalwaysgettothenextlevel.Ithinkthatdriveshim.

Acoupleofotherfactorsjusttowrapitup.Garyisalsoadichotomy,hestresses,intermsoftryingtopleaseeveryonetoprovidevalue,butnotcaringaboutanyonewhattheythink.Hisfamilyisthemostimportantthingtohim,hesays,butatthesametimehesayswhathewantstodocanevensupersedethatattimes,becausehebelievesinwhathe’sdoing.Hedoesn’tcarewhathisfamilythinks,hesaid.Imean,heworksverywellwithhisfamily,asapartnerandhelovesthem.Samethinghesayswithhisfriends,hisassociates,withtheindustry.

He’snotafraidtobekindofalonerwhenhehasto,tostandout.TogobacktoJobsagain,Ithinkallthegreatleadersarelikethis.Ifyou’reafraidtostandalone.Ifyou’reafraidyou’regoingtobecriticized,you’reafraidthatit’slonely.Ifyou’reafraidthatyoudon’thavethestomachforit,youwon’tbesuccessful.ThesearesomeofthemajorsuccessprinciplesthatIthinkyoucantakeawayfromGary.Finally,Ijustwanttotalkalittlebitabouthisself-promotion.HetalksalittlebitabouthisDadandhisbrother,they’realittlemoreintroverted,theyallowedhimtobethemoreextrovertedone.

Gary’sphenomenalatpromotion,andIthinkthatisamajorpartofhissuccess,butit’snotpromotionjustforhim,it’spromotionofincreasingvalue.

AsImentioned,everytimeyouwatchaGaryVaynerchukvideoit’snew,it’sfresh,it’sdifferent,soyoucanwatchhimeveryday.Youcanreadeverybookthathecomesoutwith,everyconferencethathedoes.IfyouwanttobesuccessfullikeGaryVanynerchuk,promoteyourselflikecrazy,butdon’tpromoteyourselfjusttopromoteyourself.Promoteyourselfwhenyouhavesomethingimportantandvaluabletosay.”

Checkhimout:GaryonTwitter:https://twitter.com/garyvee

GaryonFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/gary

GaryonLinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/today/influencer?authorId=10486099

GaryonGoogle+:https://plus.google.com/u/0/+GaryVaynerchuk/posts

GaryonVine:http://vineqanda.tumblr.com/GaryonPinterest:http://www.pinterest.com/garyvee/GaryonInstagram:http://instagram.com/garyvee/GaryonMedium:https://medium.com/@garyveeGaryonSoundCloud:https://soundcloud.com/garyveeNotablevideosofGary:

GaryVaynerchuk-KeynoteSpeechatInc500Seminar2011127,000viewshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcqCAqZtedI

Don'tBeThisGuy103,000viewshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOMPU___lQk

JakeandAmir:CrushIt!806,000views“GaryVaynerchukbringsthethunder.Andnotthescarykindthatmakesyoucry.”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfLt9fKhd78

Web2.0ExpoNY:GaryVaynerchuk(WineLibrary),BuildingPersonalBrandWithintheSocialMediaLandscape701,000views

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhqZ0RU95d4

Authors@google:GaryVaynerchuk199,000viewshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c_L60HcpY

JasonCalacanis

JasonCalacanisbioonWikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_CalacanisJasonCalacanisPrimaryWebsite:http://calacanis.com/

Jasonisavisionary,andanonlinethoughtandmarketleader.FromThisWeekinStartups(TWIST)(andtherestoftheThisWeekInworld),toLAUNCH,toMahalo,toWeblogs,toAngelListSyndicatestoSiliconAlleyReporter…

“TheJasonCalacanisPrimer”,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_JxEyVFwVY,

isanapproximately15minuteYouTubevideothatImadedetailingthesuccesslessonsthatwecanlearnfromJasonfromtheseleadingcontributions.Hereisthetranscript:“TheJasonCalacanisPrimer.Whatarethesuccessprinciplesthatwecanlearnfromthecareer–thusfar,he’sonlyinhisearly40’s–ofJasonCalacanis?

Jasonisaveryskilledindividual,andhasdonequitewellforhimself.Heisskilledinanumberofareas,butthereareafewdistinctivethingsthatreallystandoutaboutJasonthatareveryinstructiveintermsofsuccessprinciplesthatwecanlearnfromhimandhiscareer.

Tome,thehallmarkqualityofJason,intermsofhissuccess,ishispersonalgrowth.Jasonisveryopenabouthiscareer,hissuccessesandhisfailures,andheseemstohavereallygrownintohisskinoverthelastperiodofyears.IwouldsaythattheJasonCalacanisoftoday,covering,probably,inmymind,thelastthreetofiveyears,ismarkedlymarkedlydifferentthanthepreJasonCalacanisofthatperiod.Ithinkthatearlyinhiscareer,ashewasbecomingsuccessful,hedidn’tseemtobeascomfortableinhisskinasheisnow.Heseemedtocourtcontroversy,hehadveryhighprofileconfrontations,andheseemedtogooutofhisway–Inoticedthismyselfalso–topickfightsevenwithpeoplewhohewasmuchmuchmoresuccessfulthan,andhadnoneedreallytodothat.

Ithinkthat,notjustcosmeticallybutJasonseemstohavereallyreallyadvancedinhisselfconfidenceandcomfortlevel.Ithinkbecauseofhissubstantialsuccess.Partofithemayjusthaverealizedonhisown,partofitpeoplemayhavementionedtohim.Jasonisatoughpersoninagoodway,andhe’safighterinagoodway.He’sahustlerinagoodway,soyouwouldexpecthimtoberoughandscrappy.Andthat’sabigpartofhissuccess.HetoutscomingfromBrooklyn.IlivedinNewYork,Manhattan,andLongIslandfortenyears,Iknowitcanbekindofaroughcrowd.TheysayifyoumakeitinNewYorkyoucanmakeitanywhere.AndthenbeingfromBrooklyn,ontopofit,thathaskindofthereputationofbeingalittlebitthetoughestofthetough.

Jason’sbeenquiteopenintermsofcomingfromnotawealthybackground,havingtoreallyworksohardtoworkhiswayup,andreallyscrapfromthebottom.He’stotallyprovenhimselfbutwhatmostimpressesme,evenmorethanhisgreatsuccess,andIthinkisamajorfactorinhissuccess,ishiswillingnesstoletgoofsomeofthepast.HeusedtokindofbethetypeofpersonasImentionedthatwouldbringupgrudges,overandoveragain.Ithinkhe’stotallystoppeddoingthat.

Hetalksabouthisfamilylifebeingmoresettled,andeventhewaythathetalksabouthisemployees,andhisbusinesses,youcantellthathe’sjustmorefocusedonenjoyinghissuccess,andnotbeingatallbitteraboutthings.

IgiveJasonalotofcreditforthatbecauseIthinkit’sarealsuccessprincipleofhowyoucanletyoursuccesssmoothoutsomeofyourroughedges,andmakeyouevenabetterperson.

IthinkJasonhasdevelopedintothekindofpersonwhoisfunny,Ineverwouldhavesaidthatfiveorsevenyearsago.

Healwayshadthepotentialtobethat.He’sdevelopedintosomeonewhoispersonable.He’sdevelopedintosomeonewhoislikeable.AndIthinkthathe’swinningpeopleoverwithhischarm.Ithinkhe’smadetheinternaladjustmentstobeabletodothat.Ithinkhe’sdoneitquitesuccessfully.

Ok,sowhataresomeoftheothersuccessfactorsinJason’ssuccess?Imean,he’sbrilliantwhenitcomestostrategy.I’mgoingtogetintothatinaminute.OneofthethingsthatIthinkiscriticalisthatIthinkthatJasonhasbeenabletoreinventhimselfmanytimes.He’snotlockedintojustonething.Hethinksinamulti-facetedfashion.He’sjugglingalotofthingsatonetime.He’sfocused,buthe’salsothinkingmanystepsahead.

So,forexample,hehadsuccessatSiliconAlleyReporter.He’sverytough.Hetalkedabouthowhegotsuedforahugeamountofmoneyandhowhebouncedbackfromthat.HebuiltupWeblogswhichhesoldtoAOL.HeworkedforAOLforawhile,workedwithNetscape.HefoundedMahalo,whichisstillgoingbuttheywentthroughamajorpivot,theywereacurationforcontent(search),theanti-Googleinaway.

There’safamousstorywhichIheardJasonsayonce.HewentandpitchedMichaelMoritz.ObviouslyJasonwasalsoanentrepreneurinresidenceatSequoiaaswell.Andheputupachart,sayingthatsearchwasbroken.HeshowedhowwhenyoudoaGooglesearchyougetthousandsandthousandsandthousands,ifnotmillions,Idon’tknowtheexactnumber,ofsearchresults.Hetalkedabouthowitcouldbefixedbybeingcurated,andthatwasthewholeideabehindMahalo.Theyranintosomecostproblems.Mahalohashadsomedecentsuccess,butitbecameveryexpensivetodowhattheyweredoing,eventhoughIthinkJasonmadealotofadjustments.Hetalksaboutsomeoftheadjustmentsthathemade.

AndMahaloisstillgoingalongfairlystrong.Theyhavetransitionedalottovideo.SoJasonwenttoSiliconAlleyReportertoWeblogstoMahalo,withsuccessateachpointalongtheway.WhenthecuratedcontentcompetingdirectlywithGoogledidn’tpanoutasquicklyoraswellasmaybetheythoughtitmight,heswitchedovertovideo.He’smakingamajormarkinvideonow,andIthinkvideoisstillearlyinitsinfancy.

Hehas,justonYouTube,andIknowthat’snotalltheydobecausehe’swrittenaboutsomeoftheproblemshehaswithYouTube.Hedidn’taccepttheirSeries2fundingafterbeingfundedforthefirstround,havingthreehitprogramswiththem.

Theyhaveover13,000videosjustonYouTube,Mahalo,andmostoftheirvideostendtoberathershort.Someofthemaretwominutes.Someofthemarefiveminutes.I’veseenvideosuptoabout15minutes,maybealittlebitlonger.So,hestillhasthatgoingon.

He’sveryfocusedonThisWeekinStartups.Idon’tknowhowmanyepisodesithasbeen.Ithinkitmightbeaboutthreeorfourhundred.TheyalsoarestartingtodomorevideosoftheTWISTroundtablesandtopics.

I’vewatchedquiteafewoftheepisodes.Relatively,it’sasmallpercentage,butI’dsayI’veseenthirtytofortyepisodesperhaps.Onethingisthathejusthasfantasticguests,sowhenhehasacertainguestonIjustdon’twanttomissthatperson.

Jason,nomatterwhohehason,he’sveryinsightful.He’satremendousinterviewer.ThisprobablygoesbacktohisSiliconAlleyReporterdays.He’skindofthekingofcontent.Heunderstandsbasicallyhowtopresentthings,inmessages,andpresenthimselfwellaswell.Buthe’snotlockedintojustonekindofcontent.He’sdoneblogs.He’sdonejournalism.He’sdonevideo.He’sverybigonmobile.HetalksalotaboutPathandotherappsthathelikes.

Hekindofrunsthegamut.Heisextremelyinformed,I’mgoingtogetintothatalittlebithowIfeelthatplaystohisstrengths.

InadditiontoThisWeekinStartupshe’shadalotofsuccessinthepastdoingconferences.Nowhe’sdoingtheLaunchconference.He’sdoneverysuccessfullywithconferencesinthepast.Obviously,theworkwithMichaelArringtonnotwithstanding.

Jasonisaverysuccessfulguy,andhasalotgoingonatonetime.He’samajorangelinvestor.Hehasforty-oneinvestmentsonAngelList.So,he’sinvolvedin

quiteafewareas,andhe’salwaysfocusedonwhat’snext.

Ifyoulistentohim,forexamplehisemailnewsletterwhichhehasisincredible,andIwanttotalkalittlebitaboutJason’sstrengthswithstrategy.ThefirstpointwasthatJasonhashadalotofpersonalgrowthovertheyears.He’stakenthedetermination,thegritthathehasbuthe’ssmoothedoutsomeoftheroughedges.Thesecondpointwasthathehasreinventedhimselfmanytimes.He’sveryopenabouthissuccessesandfailures.Itallowspeopletotrusthimmore.Heseemstohavealotofselfconfidencethatifonethingdoesn’tworkouthecandoanother,orifonethingisgoingwell,hecandoitsoptimumbutalsodootherthingsaswell.

Nowintermsofstrategy.JasonCalacanisisastrategyphenom.He’sextremelyinformed.Alotofpeopleareinformedbuttheydon’tunderstandexactlyhowallthepiecesfittogether.JasonCalacanisisageniusbecauseheunderstandswhatgoeswithwhat.Heunderstandsnotonlywhatthingsarebutwhattheymean.

Ifyoureadsomeofhistreatises,Icallthemtreatisesbecausethey’vebeenlikeMobyDickinlength–althoughIthinkhe’sstartingtorealizealittlebitthatlessismore–Ithinkthatsometimesyouhavetogointodepthandhe’sverygoodatthat,butJasonisanexperttoknowwhatMicrosoftneedstodotobesuccessful,Yahoo!needstobesuccessful,Google,becauseheunderstandswhateachcompanyisdoing,whattheirshortcomingsareandtheirstrengths.

Jasonhasanextremelyanalyticalmind,andasImentionedit’sextremelywellintegrated.Idon’tknowifJasonhasanyinterestbecausehe’saserialentrepreneur,butIcouldeasilyseehimbeingaCEO,notonlyofaMahaloorThisWeekIntypebusinesses,butamajortechcompanyaswell.Hehasthemanagementstyle,heknowshowtorelatetopeople,butevenmoreimportantly,orontopofthat,heunderstandsstrategy.

Heunderstandswherethemarketisgoing,whothecompetitorsare,whatthemajorfactorsare,andhe’sastrategygenius.Andhe’ssowellconnected,I’mgoingtotalkaboutnetworkinginasecond,buthe’ssuchastrategyexpert.

He’ssooriginal.He’ssoinnovative.Ifyoureadhisnewsletters,Ithinkthat’swhyhehassomanysubscribers,becausehecomesupwiththings.Forexample,hewasdescribingrecentlyhowMicrosoftcouldbuyallthemajorappcompaniesandgetafootholdinmobileandberelevant.IthinkMicrosoftonlyhasa4%market-shareinmobilenow,andBallmerisgoingforthedoor.HedidthesamethingwithYahooandGoogle.Heunderstandswhatthesecompaniesneed,andhowtodoit.

Italkedabouthimbeingagreatnetworker.Hehasstoriesabouthowhehasdoneaboutahundredparties,wherehewouldtreatthreetofiveortenpeopletodinner.Evenwhenhehadnomoney,hewouldjustbuyappetizersandshareitamongthegrouptosavemoney.Jason’sallaboutpayinghisdues.He’salwaysbeengoingthatextraextraextramile.LikeMarkCubanhelpedJason,Jasontalksabouthowpeoplewereimpressedwithhimbecausehewouldbangonanydoor.

IfeelthatItryandbethesameway.

Alotofpeoplearenotimpressiverightatthebeginning.Somepeopleare.Ithinkthatifyoujustshowthatyou’reinitforthelongrun,andthatyou’recommittedtowhatyou’redoing,thenpeopleeventuallydotakepositivenotice.That’swhatmovesmountains.Therearesomanypeoplewhoaregoingtogiveup,aregoingtofail,ornotbearoundinsixmonths.Jasonhasshownthathehasstayingpower.He’sgoingtobetotallycommittedtowhathe’sdoing.Ithinkpeoplerespondtothat.

Intermsofnetworking,Jasonknowsallthetoppeople.Theylikehim.IthinkhisThisWeekinStartupsisbrilliantbecausehecontinuestobringinthetoppeople.Thesamethingwithhisconferences.Sohehasalotofavenuestoperpetuatethat.

ThefinaltwothingsIwanttosayaboutJason.OneisthatIthinkhehashisvaluesandhisprioritiesstraight.Hetalksalotaboutfamily.Hewassayingononeofhisrecentshowsthatthereisalotofworktobedone,butovertheweekendthemostimportantthingwastotake,Iforgetifhehassonsordaughters,butIthinkitwasason,toLegoWorld.He’salwaysshowingpicturesofhisdogalso,he’sveryproudofhisdog.Hewassaying,thosearethememorieswhichlastalifetime.Workwillgetdone.

Ithinkhe’sgreatthewayhedoesthat.HereallyIthinkpushesemployees,andpusheshimself,tobeproductive,butherealizesthatyouhavetobeabalancedperson.Ithinkthatthewayhepresentshimself,he’sjustmuchcalmerandconfidentandfamily-orientedinhisapproach,notthathewasn’tfamily-orientedbefore,butIthinkthathehasagoodbalancewithhowheisdoingthings.ThelastthingthatIjustwanttosayaboutJason,thatIthinkisamajorsuccessprinciple,ispromotion.Jasonalsohasagreatsenseofstyle.IfyoulookatThisWeekinStartupsatthebeginningwiththemusic.Andhowhedoeshiscommercials,it’sthefunniestthingintheworld.LikehedoesthosemonkeyimpressionsforSurveyMonkey.Hemakesthingskindoffun.Hedoesn’ttakehimselftooseriously,buthereallybuildsupthevalueofhisadvertisers.

Hementionedthathecanaffordtojustgowithcompaniesthathereallybelievesin,butJasonisaboutnotjustpromotinghimself,butpromotingotherpeople,makingthemlookgoodandcreatingvalueforthem.Ithinkthat’swhyJasonissosuccessful.He’sapromoterbuthepromotesnotjusthimself.Hepromoteseveryonearoundhimtomakethembetter.ThesearesomeofthesuccessprinciplesofJasonCalacanis.”

Checkhimout:JasononTwitter:https://twitter.com/Jason

ThisWeekinStartups:http://thisweekinstartups.com/

ThisWeekinStartups(YouTube):http://www.youtube.com/thisweekinJasononAngelList:https://angel.co/jasonMahalo:http://www.mahalo.com/

LaunchFestival:http://events.launch.co/festival/

BrianTracy

BrianTracyWikipediaBio:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_TracyBrianTracyWebsite:http://www.briantracy.com/I’mfascinatedbysuccess.InfactIrecentlypublished“TheLawsandSecretsofSuccess”http://www.amazon.com/Laws-SecretsSuccess-Mysteries-Accomplish/dp/1492870250

BrianTracy,alongwithprobablyNapoleonHillandJackCanfield,areprobablythetopindividualsontheplanetonthetopicofsuccess.

Brianistheauthorof63booksonAmazon:

http://www.amazon.com/BrianTracy/e/B001H6OMRI/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1380990642

Includingsuchclassicsas:The100AbsolutelyUnbreakableLawsofBusinessSuccess

http://www.amazon.com/AbsolutelyUnbreakable-Laws-BusinessSuccess/dp/1576751260

Thisbookchangedmylife,andisoneofthemostpowerfulbooksIhaveEVERread.

EatThatFrog!:21GreatWaystoStopProcrastinatingandGetMoreDoneinLessTime

“morethan450,000copiessoldandtranslatedinto23languages”http://www.amazon.com/Eat-That-Frog-Great-Procrastinating/dp/1576754227

andmanymanymore.

Accordingtohisbio,Brianhas“writtenandproducedmorethan300audioandvideolearningprograms,includingtheworldwide,best-sellingPsychologyofAchievement”and“hasconsultedformorethan1,000companiesandaddressedmorethan5,000,000peoplein5,000talksandseminarsthroughouttheUS,Canadaand55othercountriesworldwide.”

Brianhasamuchgreaterpresenceonlinethanmostauthorsandspeakers.

Forexample:Over800,000subscriberstohisnewsletter:

http://www.briantracy.com/Newsletter/default.aspxOver4millionViewstohisYouTubeVideoshttp://www.youtube.com/user/BrianTracySpeakerOver300,000FacebookFollowers:https://www.facebook.com/BrianTracyPageOver160,000TwitterFollowers:https://twitter.com/briantracyPopularYouTubeVideosfromBrianTracyinclude:5ReasonsWhyMostDon'tBecomeWealthyOver600,000viewshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c2RrJ9ykr424TechniquesforClosingtheSaleOver291,000viewshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDTo8Y6fAWM4PrinciplesofMarketingStrategyOver174,000Viewshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZLMv5aexto

BecomeSelfConfident:BuildingSelfEsteem&SelfAcceptanceOver123,000views

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy7XzuD4chg10WaystoFinanceandStartaBusinessOver119,000viewshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmyrCLJGTtEBrianTracyWebinarhttp://www.briantracy.com/files/pages/htwab2/

KaraSwisher

KaraSwisherWikipediaBio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kara_swisherKaraSwisherMainWebsite(includesauthorbio):http://allthingsd.com/author/kara/

IfKarahasn’tpublishedascooponyouoryourcompany,you’renotaneliteplayerintechnology.

That’safact.

KarateamswithWalkMossbergastheindustry’stoptechnologyjournalistic/mediaduo.Byfar.Theymaywellbethetoptwoindividualjournalistsinalloftech.

Andthey’reworkingtogether.NOTFAIRifyouaskme.

KarahonedherjournalisticchopsattheWashingtonPostbeforejoiningTheWallStreetJournalin1997.http://allthingsd.com/author/kara/iswhereshecanbefoundtodayinregardtoherreporting.SwisherandMossbergco-produceandco-hosttheAllThingsDigitalConferences,http://allthingsd.com/conferences/,anowmulti-sitecollectionofconferencesanchoredbytheannualDconferencessowellknownthattheyarelistedsimplyasD1,D2…,upthroughD11.

TheDannualconferencesarewherethelargestnamesinTechappearasinterviewguests.Thesemajornameshaveincludedovertheyears(partiallistingonly,alphabetical):

MarcAndreessen,TimArmstrong,SteveBallmer,JeffBezos,SergeyBrin,JamesCameron,SteveCase,JohnChambers,SteveChen,TimCook,MarkCuban,DickCostolo,MichaelDell,BarryDiller,JackDorsey,LarryEllison,StephenElop,DavidFilo,CarlyFiorina,JeffreyImmelt,BillGates,MelindaGates,AlGore,DonGraham,ReedHastings,ReidHoffman,AriannaHuffington,ChadHurley,RobertIger,SteveJobs,JeffreyKatzenberg,MelKarmazin,VinodKhosla,TedLeonsis,GeorgeLucas,JackMa,JohnMalone,MarissaMayer,JohnMcCain,ScottMcNealy,LeslieMoonves,AlanMulally,RupertMurdoch,ElonMusk,RayOzzie,LarryPage,MarkPincus,SherylSandberg,EricSchmidt,TerrySemel,HowardStringer,JeffWeiner,MegWhitman,EvanWilliams,JerryYang,EdZander,JeffZuckerandMarkZuckerberg.

Nowthatispower(andstarpower).Ithinkmyheadisspinning.

Swisherhasalsoauthoredtwobooks,eachonAOL:“aol.com:HowSteveCaseBeatBillGates,NailedtheNetheadsandMadeMillionsintheWarfortheWeb”and“ThereMustBeaPonyinHereSomewhere:TheAOLTimeWarnerDebacleandtheQuestforaDigitalFuture”.

AtthetimethisbookisgoingtopressitappearsthatSwisherandMossbergwillbeleavingtheNewsCorpUniverseandstrikingoutontheirown(withanewasyetundecidedpartner).

KarahascertainpersonalcharacteristicswhichIbelievehavemadeheraforceinherprofessionalpursuits.IdetailtheseintheYouTubeVideo:KaraSwisher–Superstar,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ4YeXHCcoc.Thetranscript:“KaraSwisher.Superstar.

Ithinkthatprettymuchsumsupthevideorightthere,butweshouldprobablygothroughalittlebitmoredetail,obviously,toexplainhowwe’vecometoourconclusionofKaraasasuperstar,whichshedefinitelyis.Andsomeofthequalitieswhichsheembodieswhichwecanlearninregardtosuccessprinciples.

Numberone.ThethingthatstandsoutinmymindthemostaboutKaraistenacity.Karahasarelentlesspursuitofherstories.Sheiswellknownthroughoutthetechindustry,obviously,sheknowsallthebignames.

She’sespecially,Iwouldsayalmostfeared,atacoupleofcompanies.Yahoo!beingoneofthem.She’swrittentwobooksonAOL.ThoseareprobablytwoofthecompanieswhichcometomindthatshehasmostinfiltratedIwouldsay.Ievenreadanarticle,IbelieveitwasYahoo!hadactuallycomeupwithspecialprocedurestotryandcircumventKarafromallofthescoopsshehadgottenatthatcompany.I’msurethereareothercompaniesaswell.

Sheisjustdogged,relentless,tenacious,whateveryouwanttocallit.Ithinkthatsomepeoplearejustbornwiththatquality.IthinkitrelatestothenextqualitywhichIwanttotalkabout,whichisasenseoffearlessness.

IthinkonestoryaboutKaraembodiesthatespeciallywell.ThiswasfamouslysaidbyLarryKramer,whoisnowthePublisheratUSAToday,andaniceguyalso.Kara,famouslywhileshewasastudent,IbelieveitwasatGeorgetown,wasreadingsomeofthecopyoftheWashingtonPost.ShewasupsetaboutitandshecalledLarryKramer,andshe’slikebasically,thisiscrap.I’mnotsayingsheusedthatword,she’saverybluntpersonbutbasicallyshewassayingit’sridiculous.I’mparaphrasingher.Theseweren’therwordsbutit’sridiculousthiscopythatyou’reputtingout.SoLarryKramersaidfamouslytoher,essentially,whydon’tyoucomedownhereandsayittomyfaceinperson,soshedidn’tsaythisbutbasicallyshe’slike,sure,noproblem.ShegoesdownthereandshemeetswithhimandshestartsworkingfortheWashingtonPost.

So,tenacity,fearlessness.AriannaHuffingtontalksaboutfearlessness.Ithinkmostgreat,successfulpeoplehaveverygoodjudgment,soit’snotjustfearlessnessintermsofI’mgoingtodosomethingrash.Ithinkthereisadifference,obviously,betweenboldandrash.Peoplewhoareveryself-confident,theyjustdon’ttakenoforananswereasily,butthey’renotouttogetthemselvesintroubleorgoovertheedge.Buttheyaregoingto,withinreason,doalotmorethanisexpected,andthatmostpeoplewouldbewillingtodo.

KatieCouricisanotherexampleofthat.Isawaninterviewwithher.Shegotherfirstjobbasicallythesameway,shejusttalkedherselfintoameetingwithsomebigexecutiveandbasicallysaid,Hireme.

Thetoppeople,notonlydotheydig,dig,dig,dig,dig,untiltheygettheinformationthattheyneed,butthey’realsonotafraidtopresentthemselvesatahighlevel.That’sthenextqualityIwanttotalkaboutKara.Sheassociatesherselfwiththetopentitiesandthetoppeople.So,forexample,sheworkedfortheWashingtonPost,rightoutofGeorgetownIbelieve.Startingoutrightatthetop.Ithinkbecausesheknewhowtohandleherselfandhowtopositionherself.

She’sbeenforanumberofyearsnowattheWallStreetJournal(Alexnote:currentlyAllThingsD),andshepartnerswithWaltMossberg.Soshereallyjustorientatesherselfwithallofthetoppeople.

Andthatleadstothenextpoint,whichisthatsheisanincrediblenetworker.Obviouslywhenyou’rerunningtheDconference,thewayit’sstructured,you’regoingtobemeetingwithallthetopnames.SoIthinkKarahaskindofinstitutionalizedherapproachsuchthatnotonlyisshegettingthetopinformation,gettingthetopscoops,she’sascoopmaniac,she’sknownforgettingonescoopafteranotherafteranother,butshe’sdevelopedreallygoodrelationshipswithpeoplewhoallowhertodothat.

Shehasaverytough,toughtoughexterior,alotofpeoplearekindofafraidofher,theyusethosewords.Notafraidthatsheisgoingtobeatthemup,butafraidthatshe’lljustexposewhateverthestoryis,nomatterhowdifficultitistogetit.Andshe’llcallaspadeaspade.

Ifyoureadherbooksorreadherarticles,she’sjustreallypointon.Butifshelikesyou,andI’msureshelikesmostpeople,butifshereallylikesyouthenyoukindofhaveafriendforlife.Ithinkthat’spartoftheloyaltyfactor.

IknowevenwhenJasonCalacaniswaskindof–he’salwaysbeenaverysuccessfulguyandasmartguyIreallylikehim–butwhenhewasgoingthroughmoreaconfrontationperiodwheresomepeopleweresayingtheydidn’tlikehim,shealwaysbackedhim.Andalotofotherpeople.IknowTedLeonsis,whowasgraciousenoughtogiveusaninterview,she’sbeengoodfriendswithhim,andIthinkshejustformsreallydeep,closeprofessionalrelationshipswithpeoplethatreallyaidher.

She’sverylikeable,butshe’sveryverytough…”

DavidCohen

DavidCohenWikipediaBio:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cohen_(entrepreneur)

TechStarsWebsite:http://www.techstars.com/DavidCohenBlog:http://www.davidgcohen.com/Howwouldyouliketotakeoveranentiretechnologycategory?MeetDavidCohen.

DavidistheFounderandCEOofTechStars.TechStars,joinedonlyperhapsbyYCombinator,isthekingofthestartupacceleratorspace.

IhadanopportunitylastyeartoconductalonginterviewwithDavid,

http://techleaders20.blogspot.com/2012/06/industry-leaders-of-tech-20-interview.html,inwhichhedetailedthefactorsrelatedtoTechStarsdominanceandsuccess(amongotherfactors).

Hereitis:

IndustryLeadersofTech2.0InterviewDavidCohen:"Lookforustocontinuetopileupunfairadvantagesforourcompanies"

IndustryLeadersofTech2.0:

1.David,youarethefounderandCEOofTechStars,theelitestartupaccelerator.AsindicatedonTechStars'website,“TechStarsprovidesseedfundingfromover75topventurecapitalfirmsandangelinvestorswhoarevestedinthesuccessofyourstartup,aswellasintensementorshipfromhundredsofthebestentrepreneursintheworld.”

TechStarsoffersfiveprograms(basedinBoulder,Boston,NewYorkCity,SeattleandaCloudprograminSanAntonio)ona“regularschedule”.

Competitionforadmissionisintense.Asstated:“TechStarsisthe#1startupacceleratorintheworld.We’reveryselective–Althoughthousandsofcompaniesapplyeachyear,weonlyinvestourmoneyandtimeinabouttencompaniesperprogramlocation.WehaveselectionrateslowerthantheIvyLeague,soyouhavetobeamongthebestofthebesttoearninvestmentfromTechStars.”

AfewofthesuperstarsthatTechStarsutilizesasmentorsintheprograminclude:BradFeld,(ManagingDirector,FoundryGroupandalsoaTechStarscofounder);foursquarefounderDennisCrowley;andJeffClavier(ManagingPartnerofSoftTechVC)amongothers.

InMarch2011,TechCrunchreportedthat“StartupincubatorTechStarshasraised$8millioninnewfundingforitsprogramsinBoston,Boulder,NewYork,andSeattle.Thenewfundingcomesfrommorethanfiftyventurefundsandover25individualangelinvestors.Thisbringstheincubator’stotalfundingtonearly$11.5million.”

Thiswasfollowedaroundsixmonthslaterwiththenewsthat“startupincubatorandnetworkTechStarshasraised$24millioninnewfundingfromtheFoundryGroup,IAVentures,AvalonVentures,DFJMercury,SoftBankCapital,SVBFinancialGroup,RREVentures,RightSideCapitalManagement,TechStarsAlumni,andseveralindividuals…thisnewfundingwillbeusedtooffereverysinglenewTechStarscompanyanadditional$100,000infundingintheformofaconvertiblenoteimmediatelyuponacceptanceintoTechStars.”

FirstbeguninBoulderin2007,8TechStarscompanieshavealreadybeenacquired,over85%ofTechStarsalumnicompaniesarestillactiveandlessthan8%havefailed.Inaddition,“ourcompaniesaverageover$1MinoutsideventurecapitalraisedafterleavingTechStars”(SendGridalonehasraisedover$27million,Orbotix$11million,andquiteafewothershaveraisedover$1millionwithseveralraisingover$5millioneachtodate).ThetencompaniesfromBoulder,Summer2009,havetodatealreadyraisedover$41millioncollectively.David,tobegin,afewquestionstotrytogainsomeinsightintothistremendoussuccessofTechStars.What,mostessentially,isthe“secretsauceofTechStars”,andhowhasthisdevelopedandevolvedasTechStarshasexpandeditslocationsandfunding?

DavidCohen:

Itsoundsreallysimple,anditis.It’sallaboutthepeople.Wetaketheverybestentrepreneurswecanfind,andputtheminaroomwiththeverybestmentors.Wehaveover1,000greatpeoplethathaveaskedtobeTechStarsmentorsthatwehaven’tbroughtin.Likeeverythingwedo,it’saboutqualityoverquantity.The300mentorsthatwedohaveareliterallythebest.Theyengagedeeply,andthey’reincredible.Whenyouputthesementorsinaroomwithreallyfantasticentrepreneurstheoutcomeisoftenpuremagic.There’sasayingabouthiringtopsoftwaredevelopers.Thetop1%are10timesmoreproductivethanthenext10%,whoare10%moreproductivethantherest.AtTechStars,wethinkthesameistrueofmentorsandentrepreneurs.Filteringonthebestatbothlevelshasproducedsomethingreallyspecial.


WhatseparatestheacceptedfromthenonacceptedTechStarsapplicant?Couldyouprovideafewexamplesoffactorsthathavebeencriticalinmakingthesedecisions?

DavidCohen:

Often,it’sverylittleonthebubble.The#1reasonthatpeopledon’tgetacceptedintoTechStarsissimplyourfocusonqualityoverquantity.Sure,wecouldfund50startupsineverybatch,butthentheywouldn’teachgettherightamountofpersonalattentionand10to1mentortocompanyratiothatwestrivefor.Insteadwechoosetoputourfullenergyintothetop10orso,andtreatthemalllikefamily.Forus,it’snotafunnelorawaytofigureoutwhichonesaregoodorbad.WhenyougetintoTechStars,it’sforlife.Sowetakeadmissionveryseriously.


WhataresomeofyourroleswithinTechStarsandhowhasthatevolved?Whatdoesatypicaldayforyou(ifthereissuchathing?)looklike?

DavidCohen:

Well,we’rebigenoughthatit’snotjustaboutme.IhaveanincredibleteamofManagingDirectorsthatI’mveryprivilegedtoworkwith(KatieRaeinBoston,DavidTischinNYC,AndySackinSeattle,NicoleGlarosinBoulder,andJasonSeatsinSanAntonio).They’reonthefrontlinesworkingwiththecompanieseveryday.IstilllovedoingthatbutastheorganizationhasgrownI’vehadtofocusmoreontheproductandservicetoourcompaniesaswell.Ienjoyboth,andwishtherewasmoretimeintheday.I’dsayabouthalfmytimeisspentworkingwithcompanies,andhalfonTechStarsortheinvestmentfundsarounditoverall.


Itseemsasifeveryfewmonths,ifnotmoreoften,thereisanannouncementofanewtechstartupacceleratororincubator.Canyoutalkabouttheroleofthetechacceleratornowinthefundingofstartupsasithasdevelopedandwhereyouseethatgoing?Howaretechacceleratorsdifferentiatedfromeachotherandhavewereachedorareweapproachingasaturationpointfortechaccelerators?

DavidCohen:

Ithinkthereisatleastonetechacceleratorlaunchingeverydaynow.It’snotevenatrendanymore,it’sbeyondthat.Thereareabout350acceleratorsintheworldthatIknowabout,andI’msuretherearemorenow.They’relikecolleges.Notinthe“education”sensebutinthe“affiliation”sense-theseprogramswilldevelopreputations(goodandbad)andthatwillsaysomethingaboutyourcompany.Theywilleachhavealumninetworkstryingtohelpeachother.Overall,aslongasthey’rewellintentionedandareactuallyinvestingmoneyandusingreasonable(industrystandard)terms,Ithinktheycan’treallybebadforentrepreneurship.Therearegoingtobesomebadactorsoutthere,takingmoreequitythantheyshould,and/orprovidingnoorlessfunding.AtTechStars,we’veledthechargeontransparencyandhavepublishedourfullresultssinceday1onourwebsite.Weevenreleasedthetoolforotheracceleratorstodothesamething.It’seasyforanacceleratortobetransparent,andthefactthatonemightnotbeshouldtellyousomethingaboutthem.Howcompetitiveisthelandscape?DoyouconsiderTechStarstobeincompetitionwithothertechaccelerators,forexampleYCombinator(whichemployswhatmightbeconsideredasimilarfinancingmodelasTechStars),forthebesttechstartups,andwhatdoesthatcompetitionlooklike?

DavidCohen:

We’refortunatetohaveastrongreputation,thebestmentors,andarecent#1rankingbyaKauffmanFellowsstudy.IthinkYCombinatorandTechStarsenjoythisreputationeffectandhaveaccesstosomeofthebestcompanies.Butwe’renotrestingonourlaurels-weknowwehavetodeliverforourcompaniesandhelpthembecomesuccessful.Overtime,themostsuccessfulprogramswillcontinuetogetthebestapplicants.WhatassistancedoTechStarscompaniesreceiveaftertheyleavetheinitialthreemonthmentoringprogram?

DavidCohen:

We’reinvestorsforthelongterm.Wehelplikeanyinvestorwouldlongterm(introductions,productfeedback,businessmodelfeedback,etc).Wealsohaveanincrediblyvibrantalumninetworkandgettogetherphysicallyonceayear.It’sbecomeaprettyamazinggroup.Therearealsoveryvibrantonlinecommunitiesforourfoundersandcompaniesthatareheavilyused.Iusedthefamilymetaphorearlier-andit’sagoodonebecauseIthinkeveryonefeelsthisway.

IndustryLeadersofTech2.0:Ifthingscontinuetogoaswellastheyhave,wheremightTechStarsbeinfiveyears?DavidCohen:

Wemightbeinafewmoreplaces,butagainourfocusonqualityoverquantitywillwinout.Wedon’twanttobeeverywhere.Whenwedosomethingwewanttodoitwithexcellence.Lookforustocontinuetopileupunfairadvantagesforourcompanies-readyaccesstothebestpeopleintheworld,efficiencyinfundraising,betterinformation,insight,andtoolsforthem,etc.


2.Asifallofthatgrowthisn’tenough,TechStarsalsohasalsochampionedtheGlobalAcceleratorNetwork“inpartnershipwiththeWhiteHouseStartupAmericainitiative.TheNetworkconsistsofonlythehighestqualityindependentlyownedandoperatedorganizationsfromaroundtheworldthatutilizeamentorship-basedstartupacceleratormodel.AllGlobalAcceleratorNetworkmembershavemetrigorousstandardstogainmembershipintheNetwork.Memberssharebestpractices,participateinregularnetworkingopportunities,andhaveaccesstosomeofthebestperksintheworldwhichtheymaysharewiththecompaniestheyfund”.

“TheGlobalAcceleratorNetworkconsistsofindependentlyownedandoperatedregionalorganizationsthatoperateahighqualitystartupacceleratorprograms.TheNetworkprovidesprofessionaldevelopment,networkingopportunities,training,consultingandongoingsupportformembers...theGlobalAcceleratorNetworkencompasses57programlocationsacross6continents”.

Howdidyoucomeupwiththeideaforthistypeofnetwork,howdoesitbenefitTechStarsinadditiontotheecosystemofstartupaccelerators,howhasitperformedtodate,andwhataresomeofthecompetitiveadvantages,despiteitsindependentnature,ofsuchuniformityorscale?

DavidCohen:

Iwasgettingphonecalls2-3timesadayfrompeoplestartingacceleratorswantingtoknowwhatwe’vedoneandhowwe’vedoneit.Iwantedtohelp,butitwastakingupatonofmytime.Ratherthanthinkofthesefolksascompetitors,IdecidedtohelpbecauseIbelievethatthisacceleratorphenomenonisgoodforentrepreneursoverall(again,assumingtheyareactuallyinvestor[s],andarenottakingtoomuchequity,andarebeingtransparentwiththeirresults).Ifit’sgoodforentrepreneurs,Iwanttosupportit.Butovertimethisbecametoomuchformetohandle-andgotabitmonotonous.SowetalkedtothefolksbehindStartupAmericaintheObamaAdministration,anddecidedwe’dopensourceTechStarsandhelpchampiontheGlobalAcceleratorNetwork.TodayI’moneof7advisorstotheGANandthereareabout45memberorganizationsglobally.Seewww.joingan.comformoreinformation.


3.David,theawarenessofTechStarshasbeenfurtherdevelopedthroughTV,withTechStarsonBloomberg,andvideo,ThisWeekinTechStarsandTechStarsTV(IalsolovethepowerfulvideoontheTechStarshomepageinwhichyoustartoffthevideobysaying“TechStarsislikeanunfairadvantageforyourstartup”andneartheendofthevideoexclaim“Thisiswhereyou’llfindthebestcommunityforyourstartupontheplanet”).

IwatchedthisepisodeofTechStarsonBloombergwhichfollowsTechStarsNewYorkcompaniessixmonthsafterdemoday(andintroduces“thetwoDavids”)andonethingthatstruckmewashowcompaniescouldpivotsoquicklyinashortprogramandtheclassstillbesosuccessfulraisingfundingfrominvestors.

HowdidanddoesthemediaexposureandexaminationofhowthesausageismadeeffectTechStarsoverall?

DavidCohen:

WemadetheTVshowfortworeasons.First,wewantedtoleteveryoneseehowvaluableamazingmentorshipcanbe.Wewantedtoencouragemorepeopletobecomementorstoentrepreneurialcompanies.Onceyou’ve“madeit”asanentrepreneurandhadasuccessfulexitortwo,youcanchoosetogorelaxonasailboatsomewhere,oryoucangiveback.Givingbackmakesahugedifferencetoourcountry,tojobcreation,andtofuturegenerations.Wewantedtoshowpeoplethattheyshoulddothat.Second,wewantedtogivepeopleanhonestlookathowharditreallyistodoastartup.It’snotforthefaintofheart,andIthinkthatcameacross.


4.David,youhaveastrongbackgroundasanentrepreneur.“Davidwasafounderofseveralsoftwareandwebtechnologycompanies.HewasthefounderandCTOofPinpointTechnologieswhichwasacquiredbyZOLLMedicalCorporation(NASDAQ:ZOLL)in1999.YoucanreadaboutitinNoVision,AllDrive[Amazon].DavidwasalsothefounderandCEOofearFeeder.com,amusicservicewhichwassoldtoSonicSwap.comin2006.Healsohadwhathelikestothinkofasa“gracefulfailure”inbetween.”

Whataresomeofthelessonsthatyoulearnedasanentrepreneur,andhowdoesthisassistyouinyourworkwiththeentrepreneursofTechStars?

DavidCohen:

Toomanytocount.Startupsareoneofthosethingsthatyouonlylearnbydoing.Ontheinternet,oneofmybiggestlessons(andIhaveafailedcompanytoshowforit)isthevalueandimportanceofdistribution.Ifyoudon’thaveawaytogetyourproductinfrontoftherightpeople,itwon’twork.Iwroteablogpostaboutthis.Thebiggestlessonthoughwouldbethevalueofmentorship.It’swhyIstartedTechStars.Inexperiencedentrepreneursgreatlyundervaluementorshipandnetworkeffects.


5.David,Iorderedandreadyourbook,“DoMoreFaster”(let’sjustcuttothechaseandadmitthatyouareagenius,whichyouare),cowrittenwithBradFeldandwithmanycontributorsacrossthethemesof:IdeaandVision,People,Execution,Product,Fundraising,LegalandStructureandWorkandLifeBalance.Inyourchapterinthebook“BeOpentoRandomness”youwriteinpart:“Takeamomentandthinkbacktoallofthegoodthingsthathavehappenedtoyousofarinyourlife.Ifyou’relikemeandyoucontemplatethatlist,you’llrealizethatmanyofthosegoodthingscameaboutinveryrandomways…BradFeldisagreatexample.Formanyyears,Bradhasregularlyheld‘randomdays’whenhe’llmeetanyonetotalkaboutanythingfor15minutes…Now,guesshowImetBradFeld.Itwasononeofhisrandomdays.Andonthatrandomday,guesswhatwetalkedabout?TechStars!”

Howrandomarerandomdays?Howmuchofaroledoesintuitionplayinrandomness?Preparedness(inthesenseof“luckfavorsthepreparedmind”)?Thelawofattraction?

DavidCohen:

Onrandomdays,I’llliterallymeetanyoneforanyreason.That’sprettyrandom!Ifyougoinwiththegoalof“learnonething”fromeverymeeting,you’llfindthatyouusuallydo!Ithinkluckfavorstheavailablemind,sometimes!


Youalsowrotethetitlechapter“DoMoreFaster”.Briefly,youwroteinpart:“I’vebeeninvolvedwithafewcompaniesthatcouldn’tdomorefaster…Itturnsoutthatgivingupyouroneobviouscompetitiveadvantageoftenprovestobedeadly.Ifastartupcan’tdomorefaster,itusuallyjustgetsdeadfaster.”

Constantiteration(forexample“theleanstartupmodel”)whichalsofeaturesthe“minimalviableproduct”(MVP)isprettymuchtheragethesedays(andforgoodreasonIthink).Whatisthepotentialtradeoff,however,betweenveryquickversusmoreconsideredaction?

DavidCohen:

WeuseLeanStartupconceptsheavilyatTechStars,andhavebeenluckyenoughtohaveEricRiesandSteveBlankaroundtheprogramafairamount.Ihonestlyhaven’tfoundanypracticalormeaningfultradeoffswhenitcomestoLeanStartuptechniques.


6.David,youarealsoablogger.Inthisrecentpost“BradFeld’srandomactsofkindness”youwriteinpart:“Bradhasgoneontoleadbyexamplewithhis“givefirst,getlater”philosophyincountlessways…The“givefirst”philosophyiswhatpowersTechStars,infact…SowhenBradannouncedthathe’dbedonatingatleast$5,000foreachofthe29upcomingmarathonsheplanstorunto“random”familiesviaGiveForward,andactivatinghiscommunitytoampitupallIcoulddowassmileandsay“That’ssoBrad.””ThistypeofservicementalityisthesametypeofexperiencethatIhavehadwithBradandfranklyallsuccessfulpeopleinlife(Iliketosaythat“talenttakesonetothetopbutonlycharacterkeepsonethere”).Ialsobelieveinthelawofattractionsuchthatlike-mindedpeopleofmaturityareabletofindeachotherandenjoyworkingtogether.

CanyoutalkabouthowyouputallofthepiecestogetherbyfindingandkeepingthebestpeoplethroughouttheTechStarsorganization.Also,whatdoestheblogmeantoyou?

DavidCohen:

I’mveryfortunatetoworkwithsuchgreatpeopleeveryday.Notjustthementorsandcompanieswefund,butmyco-workers.There’samindbogglingamountofexperienceandatthesametimehumilityandgoodwillinsideofTechStars.PeoplespendtimeonTechStarsbecausetheyloveit,andthat’sagreatfeeling.Theblogisjustanoutletforgettingsomethoughtsout.Iamlivingmyprofessionallifeasaninvestorbyonesimplerule.Help

entrepreneurs.Theblogisjustanoutlettotrytodothatinanotherwaythathaswidereach.


7.Finally,David,anybodyreadingthroughallofyouraccomplishmentssuchasthosedetailedinthisinterviewmightwellaskthemselves,“Howdoesonepersonbecomesoproductive?”Solet’saddafewmore:“Davidisa[n]activestartupadvocate,advisor,boardmember,andtechnologyadvisor…HeisalsoveryactiveattheUniversityofColorado,servingasamemberoftheBoardofAdvisorsoftheComputerScienceDepartment,theEntrepreneurialAdvisoryBoardatSiliconFlatirons,andtheBoardofAdvisorsoftheDemingCenterVentureFund.HeisamemberoftheselectioncommitteeforVentureCapitalintheRockies,andrunstheColoradochapteroftheOpenAngelForum.”

So,whataresomeofthesecretstothesuccessandproductivityofDavidCohen?DavidCohen:

Neversleep.Kidding.Thesecretisprettysimpleandanyonewhofollowsitcanbeincrediblyproductive.Dowhatyoulove.Don’tdoanythingelse.Ifyoudowhatyoulove,thenworkbecomesplayandpurejoy.Youjustwanttodomoreofit,andthat’showIfeel.IamproudthatIhaveabalancedlife,infactasIwritethisI’mreturningfromafamilytriptoMexico.ButwhenI’mworkingIworkveryhardandItrytofocusandprioritize.AndIloveeveryminuteofit.

DavidCohenInterview–ThisWeekinStartupshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuWLGAbyEaw

KeynotebyDavidCohenofTechStarshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok7YH8_48pc

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