Want to Be an Entrepreneur? Listen to Angel Investor Naval Ravikant | Hacker News Reader

Want to Be an Entrepreneur? Listen to Angel Investor Naval Ravikant

gigaom.com

80 pointsdwynings8 comments

OK, so one of my major, major gripes about the current trends in modern web developments is putting stuff in videos. This is over 8 minutes long, and I'm sure it's fascinating, but I could probably skim a transcript in 15 seconds to decide if it's worth my time.

If it is, then I could read a transcript in 60 seconds, possibly less. Then I could re-read the important bits, print them out and put them on my wall to catch my eye at odd moments for the next two weeks.

But no, I have to sit through a video. I've got no idea whether it's worthwhile, no summary, no abstract, no method to skim.

And no time.

And I took this time because you, the Hacker News audience, can benefit from knowing this. Some of your audience won't take the time to sit through a flashy video, wonderful graphics, or clever animations.

Some of your audience have limited time, limited attention, and want to hear your message clearly, quickly, and effectively, or not at all.

Video isn't always the right medium. Write this on your wall - provide a summary.

</rant>

OK, so I decided to try to transcribe this, and I got about 40 seconds in and decided I can't. Why? Because at that point I can't actually understand about half of what he's said. I don't know the companies involved so can't get the names right, and half the time he speaks too fast for me to figure out what he's saying.

Forget it. It may be gold, but I'm not getting it.

Yes, this is a rant, but imagine I'm a potential customer, and you've got a great video explaining your product. I won't buy it - you've lost a customer - unless it's really, really good.

And for what it's worth, both these comments have taken me less time than I spent trying to understand the first 90 seconds of that video.

The way I deal with this is to first decide if it's something fairly important to me, and if it passes that test, I'll do some physical chores on the side while listening to the video.

Since you'll need to 'waste' time cleaning or cutting your fingernails anyway, if you're not watching physics lectures you can probably clear up those chores without getting bored and learn new things at the same time.

That's a good technique, and I use it, but it doesn't help if English isn't your first language and you're having trouble understanding it anyway. Naval Ravikant speaks clearly, but he speaks fast, and having constantly to rewind to listen to something again makes it really, really hard.

I HATE videos with no transcript, but I like karma, so here's the summary I made for my bookmark:

Best piece of advice you received? -- "It's the people, stupid." Everyone ignores it, he ignored it too at first. It's the same advice anyone who's been in business for a long time will give you.

What advice do you give entrepreneurs? -- Find a great partner no matter what you do. Qualities to look for: high intelligence AND high energy AND high integrity. Every one of these is important.

How important is it to be in Silicon Valley? -- A: It's more important than people outside the Silicon Valley really realize. He learned this the hard way: he started out in Boston. Networking. The atmosphere -- "It's in the air, it's in the water". If you're doing a consumer web business, it's winner-takes-all. No place for second Facebook, no place for second Twitter, so you need every advantage you can get.

What do you look for in an entrepreneur? -- You're not evaluating the product as much as the person presenting it, what are they capable of. "Show don't tell." Separating talkers from doers.

How to get a meeting with an investor? -- Sorry, didn't watch, it's irrelevant to me.

Whether you should be public or private with your idea? -- Again, didn't watch, it's irrelevant to me.

Very interesting video. I especially enjoyed his comparison of angel/VC investment to the Keynesian Beauty Contest.

It's always nice to hear someone talk about the entrepreneurial process.

Great interview and great reminder of things to not forget as you go forth with your business.

J.F.D.I.

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