Entrepreneurs: Know Thyself!

Last week I went to an event on the theme of Entrepreneurship, which is of great interest to me. Jacques Habra was the special guest for the event, and he was both inspiring and informative. A past Philosophy student, he is now an entrepreneur who started three successful businesses, and he is also a part-time Marketing professor at Santa Barbara City College.

I already read that book, but I am glad I went.

The first thing he told his audience was to not be afraid to make bold statements, and I would like to pass this message along to my readers. Do not worry about what other people may think about your opinions. You should not hurt anybody, but you should also not be afraid to believe in something that others may see as crazy: that is a defining characteristic of entrepreneurs! Entrepreneurs are visionary, and they make happen what other people see as impossible or pointless. If you are looking for examples, take the telephone, take the Internet, take the iPod and Smartphones, or take electricity itself. They all seemed to be just fads, but through the passion and belief of some courageous entrepreneurs, we now enjoy the benefits of these technological advances. 

Jacques Habra

Secondly, he mentioned something that I have already heard before. “Know Thyself.” This is the main quote from Socrates, and Professor Joe White has made sure all of his Intro to Philosophy students know this. 

Jacques claimed that elevating your consciousness— as suggested by the quote “Know Thyself—is the single most important characteristic of an entrepreneur. 

Most people follow the steps of other people, without really thinking about it. They therefore go through life without knowing their capacity in terms of weaknesses, available time, will and determination. 

That’s why it is so important not to let our jobs, studies, chores, and private life distract us from the very fact that we are living, and to always be 100% present in the moment. In other words, it is important to trust your senses. What you see, what you hear, and feel while you assist to a lecture, what you taste, smell, feel, see, and hear while you're having lunch, what you experience in one given moment… should be all you focus on in that moment. Leave the rest for later, be present where you are, and live each moment 100%. This will allow you to practice Synchronicity, a difficult word to describe when your thoughts, words, and actions are aligned. To do that, you will let people know what you really feel, you will be genuine, and you will always do what you say you are going to do. These characteristics are often ignored or overseen, but they are so critical. 

One other very important issue to keep in mind is pacing, and that is also part of knowing yourself. As you might have noticed, people have different paces. When you speak about technology to your grandma, what does she say? Slow down son! When you (Californian) walk right by your old friend from New York City, what does he tell you? Speed up bro, why do you walk so slow? Or when your professor spends to much time on something obvious… GET TO THE POINT SIR! We all have different paces, and understanding your own pace and how that compares to the pace of other people is extremely important. Why? Well, in order to communicate effectively! For example, if you want somebody to get something done for you, you have to make sure the people you are talking to understand and pay attention to what you are saying. If you speak at pace 10 but they listen at pace 80, they might get bored and zone out and miss important information. On the other hand, if you speak at pace 70 and they are at pace 40, they might get only a fraction of your instructions. I think Jacque's advice is precious and it is an important reminder to always be aware of the mark you leave on the world and on other people. I am definitely going to take Jacque's advice to heart and so should you!

Finally, I would like to highly recommend attending the events from the Career Center, they are useful and inspiring!

A presto,

- Fede