Use the Force, Luke!
There is a good reason accountants don’t run startups. It is because every startup is a bold claim that the entirety of the business sector is completely wrong. Tesla was a bet that the entire automotive sector had it wrong. iPhone was a bet that the entire technology sector had it wrong. Skype was a bet that the entire telecommunications sector had it wrong. Last time I looked,the automotive, technology and telecommunications industries were run by quite competent people with the finest educations at Harvard and Oxford, just the kinds of people the Wall Street Journal interviews at the World Economic Forum. So how do you explain to yourself that Tesla, iPhone (which alone has more revenues than Microsoft) and Skype even exist?
Use the Force, Luke!
The reason is simple…Masters in Business Administration are taught to create value through management, and that you cannot manage what you cannot measure; therefore, your average MBA spends their time gathering numbers so they can manage and optimize them. That’s why “Administration” is in the name of the degree…they are not lying to you! The thing is…value creation goes well beyond what is manageable. There is value in vision. There is value in commitment. There is value in courage. None of these things are quantifiable, yet those are the precise contents of value creation for startups.
Recall the Star Wars scene where Luke Skywalker is the only hope for the Rebel Alliance to destroy the Death Star…what does he do? He turns off the targeting computer. It is crazy. It is irrational. Headquarters freaks out. They are certain of doom. But there was no other way to accomplish the impossible…the only way to achieve what Excel cannot compute is precisely to use vision, commitment and courage to break beyond what the smart, powerful and connected executives in multinational corporations can sell to their shareholders. “Use the Force, Luke!” was the exhortation that Luke Skywalker heard from his master. The CEO of General Electric cannot tell his board he was using The Force in his decisions. That is exactly why it is the only way to build your startup before The Empire Strikes Back.
Only The Impossible Will Do
The challenge for startup founders is simply this: they have to go deeper inside to their craziest idea…yes, I am talking to you…the one you won’t admit to your spouse, to your family or friends…that idea that keeps coming back even when you swear it off…the one that tantalizes and torments you. That’s the one. Because you are Noah. You are building the Ark, and your friends are wondering what happened to you…they are wondering how such a capable person threw it all away to build what Will Never Work™. Here is the secret of the startup masters: the only reason something can succeed is because it is impossible. If it were possible, someone with more cash and connections would have already done it. Yet because it is impossible, they did not do it. It is only your courage that distinguishes you. It is only your courage that makes the impossible actually possible.
You Have Nothing to Lose
I hate to break it to you, but no one lives forever. Are you breathing? Good..then you have the rare opportunity to realize your vision in this world. You were born free and won’t go hungry tonight…few, even today, can say that. Even if you crash and burn, know that there is a whole community for whom you are a hero for attempting the impossible. 98% of readers did not read this far in the article, but you have persisted, so you have qualified yourself as one seeking the opportunity to change the world. That’s precisely what startups are all about, and clearly it is not about the computer science degree or about the MBA. It is about the vision, courage and commitment to accomplish the impossible. Nothing else will do.
