there. Had I continued to own the company, lead generation would have
morphed into online reservations and ride sharing.
Market echoes steer the ship
.
Likewise, Amazon started solely in the book space.
When PayPal first
launched, its original intention was payment processing for eBay top sellers. eBay
itself? Pierre Omidyar started it on a whim as a collectible auction site after he
sold his laser pointer for an unexpected profit. In reality, he was looking to start
Etsy nine years early, but instead eBay became the Internet’s top destination for
auctions. The point is, you may want to drive to Los Angeles,
but the market
might take you to San Francisco.
#2) BE FAITHFULLY MONOGAMOUS
Faithful monogamy is a characteristic storyboarding the launchpad for many
top entrepreneurs. From Richard Branson to John Paul DeJoria to David Geffen
—the world’s most renowned entrepreneurs become renowned because of
monogamy:
they commit to one business and one business only.
Then after
striking it big, polygamy is often the result: diffusion into multiple ventures
where passions are explored and capital allocated. Don’t be fooled by these high-
profile entrepreneurs who have twenty projects going on. You haven't sold a
company for millions and you aren’t Robert Herjavec.
Monogamy solidifies a great marriage. If your
time and emotional support
are being shared with six other partners, can you expect a good marriage? Will
this type of relationship thrive, survive, or die?
Whenever I hear a young entrepreneur say, “I have six businesses,” it’s both
sad and amusing. This is code for, “I have six businesses that suck.” A
productocracy is a money printing press—side businesses are either distractions
or impotent business opportunities. Tethering yourself to multiple businesses is
like trying to become a world-class violinist with one hand tied behind your
back.
Monogamy must precede polygamy. You have one business or none. You
can be a world-class anything—but it requires an unrelenting focus. Whatever
your thing, you have to eat, sleep, and shit it. Execution is tough enough. Divert
your focus and you’ll get killed by the entrepreneur who isn’t diverted. Work
four hours a week and the entrepreneur working ten hours a day will shellac your
biz behind the woodshed. You can’t dismiss working hard by saying you’ll work
smarter. The
UNSCRIPTED
do both.
#3) BALANCE IS BULLSHIT
Good father? Fuck you! Go home and play with your kids.
This
classic line from the movie
Glengarry Glen Ross
is a statement about
balance. And it must be said: Beware of bloggers and self-help nobodies
preaching balance. It’s no coincidence that preachers of such baloney are relative
unknowns.
The key to happiness is a balanced life! Seven tips for a balanced and
stress-free life!
Blah blah blah.
Think balance is how Michael Phelps won
twenty-three Olympic gold
medals? Is balance how Michael Jordan won six NBA championships and four
MVPs? Does that photo of Elon Musk give you fuzzy feelings of balance? The
fact is, balance is another
SCRIPTED
trap. Think about balance in terms of a
plank and a fulcrum, like a teeter-totter. How do you get the plank to balance?
Why, you put it in the
middle
. Middle equals average and ordinary.
You see, balance is bullshit—unless you aspire for middle-of-the-road results.
Today’s top leaders lead anything but balanced lives. Once again, like many
UNSCRIPTED
tenets, the escape from conventional living is paved by doing the
opposite of what conventional wisdom preaches. Great results come from great
imbalances.
The incredible life I live today is not because of balance; it’s because I
meandered into the world of the obsessed.
Periodic, huge life imbalances often precede success.
When I owned my web company, there were many instances of twelve-hour
days, thirty days straight. And yes, some of my relationships suffered. When I
wrote
my first book, I checked myself into a beach condo and wrote for thirty
days straight: eat, write, sleep, lift.
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