“There is a category of people that do stuff and a category of people that stuff gets done to.” The following short video is from the end of the event I did a few weeks in Seattle that was summarized nicely by Xconomy Seattle in Greg Huang’s post VC Model Is Not Broken: Insights from Brad Feld of TechStars and Foundry Group.
Brad Feld – cofounder of Tech Stars – "Do Stuff!" from Seattle20 on Vimeo.
Entrepreneurs are in the category that do stuff. Get up every morning and do stuff.
As I read my dose of daily blogs and news with the inevitable reference to things being as bad as 1983, I am reminded about what stuff our industry was doing during such a terrible time:
- The Lisa and the first Mac
- The SIMM (Wang)
- Windows (I signed my first OEM agreement with MSFT)
- Phillipe Khan started Borland
- NetWare shipped
- The 3.5" floppy; A MB!!!
- Probably a number of other things I've long since forgotten
Even in what is now begin chronicled as the worst of times, cool stuff got done.
Comment by John Ball — March 9, 2009 @ 2:58 pm
"We have a strategic plan. It's called doing things." – Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines
Comment by Ben Casnocha — March 9, 2009 @ 10:25 pm
It was a great event, I was there. BTW – nice shirt
Comment by Feline.Infinity — March 9, 2009 @ 10:58 pm
Also, one way to beef up this line of advice is to promote the value of experimental learning / experimenting in general. "Learn by doing."
This feels more concrete than "do stuff" on its own.
Comment by Ben Casnocha — March 14, 2009 @ 5:41 pm
The simplest advice is often the most relevant. Reminds me of Goethe:
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!"
Comment by Bill Allred — March 14, 2009 @ 7:42 pm
[...] Do Stuff (feld.com) [...]
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