By Dave Sandrowitz
How often have you heard the “I bought candy and sold it for a profit in elementary school” line? Man, if I had a dime for every time I’ve heard it, I’d have enough money to start my own wholesale candy food truck business. I’d only hire kids, pay them straight commission, and break up their territories based on grade level. But I digress…
I’ve heard it hundreds of times as some sort of proof that the utterer was just wired to be an entrepreneur. Why does anyone even care? It is just nonsense that we say to convince ourselves and others that we are special or different or destined to be successful. Maybe it is the vocalization of a half-hearted belief in one’s self, justifying that whatever crazy stuff we are up to is not a waste of time or a copycat business, or just a way to seem relevant. Selling candy, mowing lawns, babysitting, dog walking services…I recently saw an interview in which the founder suggested that his affection for playing with Legos showed that he is just a builder at heart. So, does that mean kids who play with GI Joe are destined to join the military or own guns? Besides, who didn’t love playing with Legos?
It all strikes me as the same “in crowd” talk that happens amongst hipsters or more traditional social climbing elitists; the kind of things said to establish one’s credibility in a community that can be extremely fickle in its acceptance and validation. We have all been in a few conversations in which someone had to make sure that everyone within earshot was aware that they listened to the hot new band before it was hot. It is meant to suggest superiority, a cool factor that is hard to possess, and that maybe this person is just better than you. It is also often about cementing one’s place in a group, possibly due to insecurity and anxiety around fitting in or belonging. It’s the same for the people who have to mention all the underground clubs they frequent or how they’ve already eaten at the best new restaurant in town, the one not yet reviewed in the paper. It is all the same sort of chest-puffing, a way of manufacturing social currency and then maintaining or increasing its value.
There are two really big problems with this, though. First, all this social currency creation is really no different than when the Federal Reserve increases the money supply. Just like with the economy at large, the emittance of all this hot air creates hyperinflation, just of people’s skills, reputations, and achievements. And, as you would expect, there is a resulting devaluing of the currency itself. How can you even tell if someone is capable of doing anything tangible and worthwhile when everyone runs around touting every moment of achievement from childhood onward? In other words, the more nonsense people spew about themselves in their misguided attempts to build their own brands, the less all of that means. And second, it is all one massive distraction from the stuff that really matters. Unless you have retired, you are better off focusing on what it is you are doing right now and how hard you are pushing it forward. Truth is, you cannot really fake it, certainly not with the types of people you want as employees, partners, investors, and customers.
So, when someone feels the need to highlight the stuff they did as kids as an attempt to suggest that they have ALWAYS been entrepreneurs, you should just steer the conversation back to whatever it is that they do today. Or better yet, tell them what you are doing right now and see what they say.
(About The Author: David Sandrowitz – is a guy infused with Startup DNA. Dave’s been at pioneering DC startups like Sytex and BNX and recently was with TARGUS info, where he benefited from TARGUS’s acquisition by Neustar. Dave’s one of the good guys who’s quick to help other entrepreneurs with introductions and advice. He describes himself thusly: “In a world of hackers and hustlers, I’d rather just be a guy known for getting things done. The Execution-er?”
