Ben Parr is an outgoing journalist, author, venture capitalist and entrepreneur. He is the author of Captivology: The Science of Capturing People's Attention, a book on the science and psychology of attention and how to capture the attention of others.
Ben is Co-founder and Managing Partner of DominateFund, a seed-stage venture capital fund. He was previously the Co-Editor and Editor-at-Large of Mashable and a Columnist and Commentator for CNET. He also writes for Inc.
I sat down with Ben and went Behind the Brand for some really valuable insights on what everyone should know, but nobody tells you about start ups--and business in general.
Here are 7 things you should know or keep in mind:
1. Nobody gives a crap about you or your stupid idea
No one cares until they do, right? This may sound harsh but lets get real. EVERYONE has a great idea these days. Don't expect to walk outside and get sprinkled with fairy dust. You've got to hustle and hunt down your Tinkerbelle. Have your pitch refined to about 15 seconds to hook your audience. Create content that pulls in attention vs pushing out stuff that feels salesy. Sally Hogshead reminded me once, "You can either have the biggest budget on the block or be the most fascinating." I'm guessing you'll choose to be fascinating...
2. "No" in business, usually only means no for now
I can credit my (limited) success to 3 things: generosity, humility and tenacity. To me, being tenacious is about not giving up or accepting defeat--especially when it's usually temporary. Can't get over the wall? Try going around or under. Sometimes you need to plow thru a thousand rejections just to get one "YES." That's fine. Didn't get thru the first time? Try again in 3 months. Stay positive. Don't be rude or lay a guilt trip when you come back. You should always be evaluating feedback (or lack of it) but sometimes you just haven't dug far enough to get to your gold. Keep digging.
3. Shame only works if you take it
A lot of people are going to reject or ridicule you. They will try and minimize your efforts or dismiss your execution based on false presumptions. They'll say things like, "What gives you the right to [_______]?" Remember, you don't need the approval of others. You don't need permission. And shame tactics, whether coming from your own insecurities or from the peanut gallery, should be shunned and ignored. When someone offers you shame don't accept it.
4. Ideas + execution = win
Ready. Aim. Aim. Aim. Aim...
Are you afraid to get started? Have started but failed to ship? There are probably only a handful of exceptions where you need to be perfect: surgery, airline pilots, babies...But just about everything else can be shipped and then improved upon the next iteration. Try stuff that might not work. Do A/B testing. Learn from doing and make it better. Pursue greatness while you're walking on the path.
5. This is a last man standing contest
Think of it like college or your crossfit class. When the going gets tough, most people are going to bail out. Stick with it and you might just come out the winner. In my experience most people are looking for the path of least resistance. Do the hard stuff--or stuff no one wants to do and you will find success. For this you need mental and physical endurance. I suggest ample amounts of sleep and excersise mixed into your work week.
6. Hold the Press Release
Don't send a press release. Instead send a personalized email that's brief and to the point. Keep in mind how busy everyone is and make it stick. Get creative and (without stalking) consider showing up to an event or social gathering where your target guest will be. Hang out and see if you can get a few seconds to introduce yourself so you can follow up with more details about your stuff later.
7. You need social proof
One way to earn attention is with credibility. Parr recommends touting your background (ex. Googler) or getting an influential advisor, investor, mentor or celeb involved via endorsement or with equity. If you don't have some kind of street cred it's going to be tough to get press or attention without an existing fanbase or customer list. And btw, buying a list is crap. Don't do it.
Bonus tip: You're probably going to fail
You have a good chance of failing but that's actually normal. Seth Godin reminded me, "You can't have success without failure--they go together. If you're not failing you're either a liar or you're hiding." Fail fast and correct your course. Don't fail too far. That is, fail far enough that you can live to tell the tale and come back to fight another day. Those who lose are those who quit or fall too far that they can never recover. Bake failure into your plans. Know what you're going to do when, not if, it happens. If you get knocked down, stand up fast and keep fighting. Go!
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