Let's suppose that you are a ‘clever’ investor and I, Neil Blumenthal, am a leader of a group that wants to build a start-up company.
Thankfully, you gave me a chance to persuade you. So today, clear Tuesday morning, I and my friend are here in front of you. Except Jeff and Andy who are still graduate students. They already sent word we have big exam in the whole day, so we cannot be there. As soon as I pass their word to you, I see your jaw drop. Quickly, I give a more prudent message of them to you. “We need to keep alternative against failure. Because I don’t have any big confidence with our business idea and I don’t know whether our start-up will be successful or not.” I see your face twisted more and more. “so I have spent my time for it when I am not busy in the school life.” With freeze face, you ask me. “Then... How about you, two guys? Both of you are now spending your all time on building your new business, right?” The question mark has unusual high tone. Slowly, I give a prudent message of mine and Dave’s to you. “Actually, in the early of this month, we was given the chance to have a internship this summer. me at a venture capital, Dave at the medical company. So we are preparing for each one’s job.” Dave continued as follow: “About the start-up, actually, we haven’t make any web site... and it has taken six months to decide the name of our company.” I see your whole body just in calm without any motion. Kindly, nonetheless, I talk to you. “But, all of us still want to make our start-up company.” Timely, the eyes of yours and mine are in the shortest distance. “Would you please make an investment in our start-up?” Thankfully, you have a few seconds to breath freely. but the time is coming to answer us. What kind of answer will you return to us?
Above story, actually, is a nearly fiction. But the main points of the story were absolutely real in the case of that Warby Parker company founders did a few years ago. The company, Warby Parker, is well known as the best online company for selling eyeglasses. and it was counted as the best innovative company ahead of Google and Apple in 2015 by a american monthly magazine Fast Company. (Before the company did, no one couldn’t think about buying a cheap eyeglasses in the U.S. and even from online.) In above fictional story, the investor is not actually an investor in real. He is Adam Grant, who is the youngest whole-life professor at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania. I read the original story of above in his recent book Originals. One of the founders, Neil, was actually Grant’s students at Wharton. And at the time he asked of Grant’s advice with a plan about their start-up company. But, as you already felt in the above fake story, in the real situation Adam Grant also felt very sick in front of him. And he firmly returned the answer to him, “I’m sure your business cannot be successful.” “If you really want the start-up to succeed, you guys should drop out of school and spend your whole awake time on building it.” added, Grant. But, after all the founders of Warby Parker accomplished and succeed what they wanted. They followed their sustainable and considerate minds. The professor Adam Grant got started to make reconsideration about his judgement. And finally the first chapter of his recent book is full filled with his honest reflection. He said he was wrong.
Through this essay, I haven’t told you about the detailed progress of how their start-up succeed in the business market, but it’s focused on their own minds and styles. Most of us, even Adam Grant, believe that taking a risk is a basic and the best thing for start-up companies. So, we normally think if I have an idea for new, anyway I have to stop previous work as fast as possible because of concentrating on new. On one side, It can work powerfully. But, on the other side, it naturally makes a risk. The founders of Warby Parker broke the generally accepted ideas in our business society or in our personal life. They always kept alternative in their life and business for safety. And it, their way, also worked. It has made a success and changed the part of our world, even against very famous and talented professional person. Adam Grant summarized it at the end of the real story in his book, “They were making alternative against the failure and they avoided the risk. So I was absolutely sure they must fail. But, just that point made them succeeded after all.”
Let's turn to the –a little fixed- title again.
Unconditionally taking a risk is a basic and the best thing for start-up companies or for the challenge in our lives?
Hongsung Kim
iamhongsungkim.blogspot.com
현존하는 가장 위대한 록밴드, 현존 록밴드들 중 그 누구도 넘을 수 없는 대중 음악계의 레전드.
밴드는 멤버들이 음악적으로 서툴렀던 십대였던 시절인 1976년 마운트 탬플릿 중학교에서 결성되었다. 4년 후, 이들은 아일랜드 레코드와 레이블 계약을 체결하고 데뷔 앨범 Boy를 발매했다. 1980년대 중반쯤, U2는 세계적인 밴드로 도약했다. 1987년 발매된 The Joshua Tree는 음반 판매에서보다 라이브무대로 더욱 성공했다. 《롤링 스톤》에 따르면 이 앨범은 밴드를 "영웅에서 슈퍼스타로" 만들어줬다고 했다. U2의 1991년 발매된 히트 앨범 Achtung Baby와 그에 따른 Zoo TV Tour는 밴드에 대한 음악적인 그리고 주제적인 재창조였다. 그들 자신의 음악적 부진에 대한 의견과 1980년대 말 비평운동에 반응하여 U2는 더욱 풍자적인 톤으로 그들의 성실한 이미지를 대체하는, 그들의 사운드와 퍼포먼스로 댄스 음악과 얼터너티브록을 융합했다. 이러한 실험적인 음악은 1990년대 그밖의 사람들에 의해 계속 이어진다. 2000년 발매된 All That You Can't Leave Behind는 U2가 2000년대에도 명성을 떨치게 해줬다. 현재도 많은 밴드들이 U2의 음악적 실험을 하고있고, U2는 좀 더 전통적인 사운드를 추구하고있다. U2는 지금까지 12장의 정규 앨범을 발표했고, 세계적으로 1억 5천만 장의 음반 판매고를 올렸다. 그리고 지금까지 그래미 상을 22번 수상해 그 어떤 밴드보다도 많은 기록이다. 또한 2005년 U2는 로큰롤 명예의 전당에 입성했고, 《롤링 스톤》이 선정한 "역사상 가장 위대한 아티스트 100인" 순위 중 U2는 22위에 올랐다. 밴드로 그리고 멤버 개인적으로써의 그들의 사업을 통해 인권과 박애운동을 위한 여러 캠페인 활동을 하고있다.
