Larry Page Commencement Speech
May 3, 2009
I just finished reading this, Larry Page’s commencement speech given at the University of Michigan. My favorite part is below. These are wise words, and the whole thing is worth a read (and shorter than a lot of commencement speeches I’ve read). The best part of the speech is really the end. You’ll have to read the whole thing to see what I mean.
When I was here at Michigan, I had actually been taught how to make dreams real! I know it sounds funny, but that is what I learned in a summer camp converted into a training program called Leadershape. Their slogan is to have a “healthy disregard for the impossible”. That program encouraged me to pursue a crazy idea at the time: I wanted to build a personal rapid transit system on campus to replace the buses. It was a futuristic way of solving our transportation problem. I still think a lot about transportation — you never loose a dream, it just incubates as a hobby. Many things that people labor hard to do now, like cooking, cleaning, and driving will require much less human time in the future. That is, if we “have a healthy disregard for the impossible” and actually build new solutions.
I think it is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams. I know that sounds completely nuts. But, since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition. There are so few people this crazy that I feel like I know them all by first name. They all travel as if they are pack dogs and stick to each other like glue. The best people want to work the big challenges. That is what happened with Google. Our mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. How can that not get you excited? But we almost didn’t start Google because my co-founder Sergey and I were too worried about dropping out of our Ph.D. program. You are probably on the right track if you feel like a sidewalk worm during a rainstorm! That is about how we felt after we maxed out three credit cards buying hard disks off the back of a truck. That was the first hardware for Google. Parents and friends: more credit cards always help. What is the one sentence summary of how you change the world? Always work hard on something uncomfortably exciting!
As a Ph.D. student, I actually had three projects I wanted to work on. Thank goodness my advisor said, “why don’t you work on the web for a while”. He gave me some seriously good advice because the web was really growing with people and activity, even in 1995! Technology and especially the internet can really help you be lazy. Lazy? What I mean is a group of three people can write software that millions can use and enjoy. Can three people answer the phone a million times a day? Find the leverage in the world, so you can be more lazy!
Overall, I know it seems like the world is crumbling out there, but it is actually a great time in your life to get a little crazy, follow your curiosity, and be ambitious about it. Don’t give up on your dreams. The world needs you all!
via Google Press Center: Larry Page Commencement Speech at the University of Michigan.
UPDATE: Here’s a video of the speech:
Choose Your Friends By Choosing Who You Want To Be
April 17, 2009
Having good friends is essential to leading a happy life. There’s no arguing that. Human beings are social by their very nature.
What’s important is who those friends are. I will now share with you one of the best pieces of advice that I’ve ever received.
“Choose to be friends with the people that you want to be like. Successful people are friends with other successful people.”
Like minded people tend to flock together because… well that’s natural. If you are a college student and you have a great idea for a business but you find yourself hitting bars every night with your friends and waking up at 11am, then perhaps you should give up on that business idea.
Alternately you could find some new friends. Speaking from experience, you will most likely turn out to be just like the people you spend the most time with. Before I started up college again I worked at a restaurant. In that industry it’s very common for people to go grab a post-shift cocktail or twelve. There were quite a few nights where I didn’t go to sleep until 6 or 7 the morning. Then one day I decided that the person I was becoming was not the person that I wanted to be. So I changed my friends. Don’t get me wrong, I still talk to and hang out with some of the people I used to. However I found new friends that were more like the person that I wanted to be in…. say 5 years.
Driven, successful people tend to almost radiate drive and success onto others. They will challenge you to be a better person, to work harder, and to be smarter. Find the person on your campus that is always doing something interesting and talk to them. Become their friend and you will probably tap into a network of similar people. That’s what I did, and I’m reaping a massive ROI. I joined a business fraternity that was stocked with smart people that are driven. I started going to the Startup Happy Hours in Dallas hosted by Alexander Muse and from there got involved with SpringStage and became the college catalyst for this blog.
Success breeds success. If you want to party all night and wake up late, be my guest. You only get to go through college once (or twice for some ;-) ). But don’t come knocking on my door when you can’t find an investor for your company when you graduate because you don’t know anyone and all your friends are managers at the Chick-Fil-A.
Don’t start tomorrow. Start today. Make one new friend today that is more successful, smarter, or more networked than you. Go from there.
“This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time.” - Fight Club
If You’re Going to Be Around Abilene Christian University Monday April 6th
April 6, 2009
You should stop by and hang out with Chad, who is another SpringStage blogger. Free co-working event, similar to the Jellies that we see here in the Dallas Forth Worth Area. More info can be found at the Abilene Startup Blog.
How To Pitch A VC
March 30, 2009
Watch and learn friends. Dave McClure gives a great presentation on how to pitch to a VC. Watch the following video and flip through the slides. You will laugh. You will cry. You will have a chance at wowing the room the next time you pitch to a VC (or even an angel investor).
Dave McClure - How to Pitch a VC (aka Startup Viagra: How to Give a VC a Hard-On) from Chris Hutchins on Vimeo.
Want $20K in cash; $20K in free stuff and 20 mentors for your startup?
March 27, 2009
I just found out about this and wanted to get it posted for all of you right away. Click the link above to find out how you can get in on this. 10 weeks, $20k cash and $20k worth of free stuff. And 20 mentors…. holy crap, GET ON THIS RIGHT NOW! Applications due by April 3rd, so hurry up!
$50,000 New Venture Creation Contest at University of North Texas
March 26, 2009
I just found out that the Murphy Enterprise Center at the University of North Texas is having a Venture Capital Contest. Details and submission form are on the linked page. From the website:
The New Venture Creation Contest (NVCC) is intended to simulate the real-world process of entrepreneurs soliciting start-up funds from early-stage investors and venture capital firms. The NVCC is hosted by the Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship within the College of Business at the University of North Texas.
Highlights of the NVCC include:
Real-world opportunities to learn what’s required to successfully launch a new venture
Chance to receive mentoring from investors and experienced entrepreneurs
Opportunities to network with local business leaders
Educational seminars in specialized business practices
High caliber judges who provide quality feedback
$50,000 in prize money
Broad media exposure
Application deadline is May 22nd and it’s only open to UNT students. I’m going to contact them and see if I can do some video recording and/or interviews.
Open Source Funding and Why You Should Burn Your NDA
February 26, 2009
The blogosphere is ablaze with news of Mark Cuban’s most recent idea. Open source funding.
Personally, I love the idea and would love to see this approach taken more often. How much easier does it get if you’re a college kid wanting to start a business. You have to make money by selling your product or service (no ad revenue models, thank goodness), as well as fit within 12 other rules. Easy. Post your b-plan somewhere online, link it in the comments of Mark’s post and BAM! You might just have a very well known investor on board.
Marc at the North Carolina Startup Blog has an excellent post about the Open Source Funding project also. He also mentions Jackson Miller who offered to buy ideas for $0.02 a piece. Why? Because ideas aren’t worth a crap. They’re cheap. Execution is where the difficult part comes in. This brings me to my next (related) topic…
Why You Should Burn Your NDA
If you’re involved in a startup, or want to be, and you have a Non-Disclosure Agreement, burn it. The only thing that an NDA does is protect your idea. I recently got into a pretty giant argument with a close friend of mine about this very subject. He got mad that I told someone else about his idea. He was afraid they were going to steal it. Who cares? If someone else is doing the same thing you are, then find a way to do it better than them. I promise you that as soon as you come to market, someone will likely copy your idea. Being the first to market doesn’t hold as much sway anymore, especially with the early-adopter types that frequent startups.
If you go to an angel investor or a VC firm and ask them to sign an NDA, you will get laughed out of town folks. Here’s why Alexander Muse won’t sign one (here’s why he will, but will charge you for it), here’s one post from the startup lawyer himself, Ryan Roberts, (and another), two from Guy Kawasaki (one here and one here), and one from Brad Feld.
What do all of these guys have in common? They’ve all been involved in startups for quite some time. Some are serial entrepreneurs, some are angel investors, some work for VC funds, but they all know the ins and outs of how it works. If you don’t ever listen to another word I say, listen to them.
Anyone need a light?
Calling All College Entrepreneurs!!!
February 23, 2009
If you’re a college student (or recent grad) who:
- Is starting or working at a startup.
- Has started or worked at a startup.
- Wants to start or work at a startup.
Get in touch with me about some exciting things coming down the pipeline. I’m now accepting interviews for current/former startup founders/employees. I’m also working out some details for those that are interested in starting/working at a a startup. Mentorship, possible internships, help with writing a bplan, and even possibly connecting you with funding sources when that time comes.
Hello World!
February 4, 2009
Welcome
My name’s Chris and I’ll be your humble author and guide for all things relating to college startups: Who they are, where they are, and what they’re doing. I’ll also be dispensing advice on a regular basis that might be of use to college entrepreneurs or college students that are interested in startups but don’t really know where to start or how to get involved. I’ll also have the occasional interview either with a succesful college entreprenuer or a hopefully-successful-someday college entrepreneur.
What qualifies you to write this blog or have anything to do with SpringStage?
Excellent question! I have experience both trying to get a business off the ground, and watching that business crash and burn. We can use this blog as a jumping off point to start discussions on best (and worst) practices. I also LOVE startups. I love new and interesting ways to solve problems. If you’re trying to pitch me a new store that only sells candles, go somewhere else. But if you’ve got a new web app or invention that will change how I live my life…. you’ll have my attention. I spend a lot of time talking to people that are involved with startup companies, I read about them constantly, and like to get things done. I love talking to smart people.
What’s the goal?
There were 6 venture-backed IPO’s in 2008 due in part to the downturn of the economy. I’d like to see that number go up. I’d love to see young people like myself taking a chance at doing something great. It’s much easier to declare bankruptcy when you’re 22 than it is when you’re 52. I want to encourage college students (and young folks in general) to talk to one another, collaborate, and do amazing things. Smart people solving real problems. Within the next 5 years, I’d love to profile a company that’s having an IPO that somehow came about because of the College Startup Blog and the SpringStage Network.
I’m a college student and I’m interested, what next?
You can contact me, follow me on Twitter, or comment on any of my posts. Maybe we’ll profile your company. Maybe you can write a guest post or two. Maybe you can be the catalyst at your university. Let’s start talking, build some relationships and get some things done.
