Monday, December 28, 2009

Song of Myself

The following lines from "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman left me mired.

"I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain'd,
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth."
-- Walt Whitman; "Song of Myself"

Insights from Desh Deshpande

Entrepreneur Desh Deshpande shared some insights on what made him successful. The following are some key points that i've captured:

* Need to stop saying "There are so many problems" and instead say "There are so many opportunities."

* Each time you fail, you increase the chance of success in your next endeavor.

* Venture Capitalist's (VC's) look for uniqueness, not for the "best."

* As an entrepreneur, you must force the issue of money with VC's.

* When asked for 4 keys to success, Desh gave these:

1. Always work with great people.

- They set a new benchmark for you and push you harder

- Look for working with the best people over earning more money

2. Have fun in what you do.

- Never do anything like say you will work really hard for a number of years so the rest of your life is great. Make it great now.

3. Have the guts to quit if you are in a position in which neither of the two prior keys are present.

4. Maintain the financial freedom to quit.

- Either have a lot of money or need less money

- Save money to create an entrepreneurial nest egg