If you can keep your head all about you
When others are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master;
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man my son!
--Rudyard Kipling
Commentary
There is a wealth of information for entrepreneurs on the web. Just a decade ago, much of this information was generally not available to first time entrepreneurs doing high tech (software/Internet/hardware) startups. In particular, the lack of information regarding financing and working with venture capitalist made it very difficult for these entrepreurs. They were oftentimes "working in the dark." Those that had this knowledge had advantage over those that did not. And, those that did not were severely disadvantaged when negotiating financial terms with venture capitalists. The asymmetry of knowledge gave VCs a lot of power and, ultimately better terms and more control.
Fast forward ten years. The playing field has been largely leveled. The Internet -- mostly blogs and tweets -- (and sometimes conference talks) provides the channel to access knowledge. And, people like Fred Wilson, Dave McClure, Allen Morgan, David Hornik, Jeremy Liew, and Mark Suster (I've singled out a few VC's -- but there are many others, including those on the "other side of the table") have shared their wisdom for all. And to the benefit of the first time entrepreneur. I think, ultimately, this access to information results in better deals and increases the likelihood of success for a company. Sure, maybe the entrepreneur might get terms that are more "fair" but, in the end, we all -- entrepreneurs, investors, and customers alike -- win from the greater availability and commoditization of information. To all those that have shared their wisdom, thank you.
That said, Kipling's "If" is sound advice and complements the well heeded advice of our contemporaries. Perhaps I've applied this poem far away from the original context. But, in the context of the high tech entrepreneur, it works well. Read. Enjoy. Learn.
(Special thanks to Bob Ebert for bringing "If" to my attention.)
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