Mormon Missions: Startup Accelerators?
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Also, "accelerator?" An accelerator is something that speeds along an already existent entity. A mission might be a good person accelerator, but if you're bringing your company with you on the mission, you're a bad founder and a bad missionary.
I attribute Utah's startup culture to: the presence of BYU, a bunch of church-derived networks (I still talk to mission buddies, and did a startup with one of them), and high pressure on men to be providers.
This is very true, and I do see a lot of missionaries return and jump into summer sales and do quite well. But there's that side where you just gotta keep going, always that has really proven valuable while working on our startup.
My mission really taught me what hard work was - to devote 100% of your waking hours to further a cause you believed in. It turns out that is what it takes to grow an early startup as well, and my mission prepared me for that.
Yeah, I created the title at like midnight last night; obviously it's not meant in the literal sense.
I think you're right; a mission is a good person accelerator, and if that person happens to be a would-be entrepreneur it makes them a better entrepreneur.
There wasn't really much of a focus on short-term numbers in my mission, mostly because when we reported numbers it would usually start "0, 0, 0, 0"
My own anecdotal evidence is that I have had twice as much financial success, and an even more amazing marriage since I left the church. And some of the more faithful mission companions I've had are still waiting around for their blessings.
There are plenty of person accelerators out there. A mission is a good experience, but nowhere near as important as you think.
It's possible that in learning these character attributes (such as through protracted service) can lead to the ability to gain temporal rewards, but it's not a given, nor is it the goal.
If you recall, in the New Testament Jesus makes it clear that temporal gain is often a hindrance to improving one's spirituality and character and thus we should be careful to avoid the pitfalls associated with it, such as pride.
Yes, I served a mission, but the 'blessings' I received from the experience are personal and spiritual in nature, and not material or temporal.
As far as General Authorities and church leaders, there's a reason for that. Much of their own living expenses are paid by themselves and not the Church. Mission Presidents, for example, pay their entire way and have to be able to go 3 years without working.
In short, that may be the perception that you have based on your upbringing or experience with certain church members, but shouldn't be extrapolated to the worldwide Church as a whole.
some of the discussion notes here seem to center on whether the requirements of serving mormon missions is a driver for entrepreneurship, but i think the obvious real story here is that 2 years of truly focused, single minded dedication to a cause is the sort of tenacity that most people in (American) society never really experience.
Tenacity and focus seem to be huge drivers in startup success.
I don't know about "mission == ultimate startup accelerator" but I'd back the claim that it's the sort of mental training ground that I don't think much else in American life stands up against.
http://www.kauffman.org/research-and-policy/kiea-interactive...
Edit: I found it interesting that the state of Utah has one of the worst bankruptcy rates in the nation, while Vermont has one of the lowest...despite being the second highest in entrepreneurship activity, and being the least religious to boot.
NY was surprisingly low on the entrepreneurship index to me. My guess is:
* really high absolute entrepreneurship activity, but really high population * i'm biased b/c i erroneously think of NYC as New York State
invalidOrTaken's comments on it preparing for corporate life I think depends on how a person approaches it.
I think the biggest thing, and this can inoculate for both corporate or start-up land, is the potential for acclimation to rejection. Getting over rejection (and staying over it) helps you, I believe, in either start-up or corporate environment.
Whether it prepares one for corporate or start-up, I believe, leans heavily on what one sees as progress.
The realization for me that metrics only matter in the aggregate of everyone together and that one's individual quality of performance on a net whole is what mattered for that individual's personal accomplishment is something that's helped me immensely.
I can knock doors 'till the cows come home but if my hearts not in it the meaningful metrics don't come through, but, on the other hand, if there are good metrics it can be an indicator of the intensity one is applying and, in that way, can help one get an external glimpse of commitment.
We don't see eye-to-eye on religion, but I admire their persistence and resilience in plugging away in the heat and cold, day after day, dealing with an almost certain high level of rejection and, often, hostility.
In my experience they've always remained respectful and polite, too, far beyond the low threshold most people seem to have. I could see that laying an excellent foundation for entrepreneurial gusto.
Young pastors, especially in the independent circuit (ie. not a seminary) are hustlers. They get told "NO!!!" a lot and it makes them very resilient. But, I don't think it necessarily makes them good salesmen which is what you need to be in a startup.
The kind of sales that missionaries (and pastors alike) are suited for is the pushy kind where you force fit your solution on top of any circumstance. The kind of sales a start-up needs to do (IMO) is the kind where you understand the businesses problems and provide a solution that meets the business requirement.
- Mentorship and training offered by relatively successful individuals.
- Most will have some form of leadership responsibility. Typically can range from overseeing 4 to 30 individuals.
- Complete escape from media: no news, music, TV, etc.
- 2 hours of study daily
- 30 minutes exercise each morning. (Opportunity exists for longer recreation/exercise once per week.)
- Obviously being immersed in a different culture is a unique experience. Missionaries will talk to anyone willing to have a conversation and work with local church members. This leads to experiences one wouldn't have even if one were to move to the same place and get a job.
Compare that to Europe where it's a train ride to another country, language, and culture.
Source: I served a mission in NYC and we spent plenty of time at soup kitchens, food pantries, and just helping out anyone who needed a hand.
Edit: link to humanitarian aid info: http://mormon.org/values/humanitarian-aid
Why?
I volunteer some of my time overseeing LDS missionary efforts in the Bay Area and they did recently instruct missionaries to step up volunteer efforts in other charitable organizations, with the specific instruction to not make a big deal of who they were or to proselyte during service - so as to make it a sincere effort to improve other people's lives in other ways as well with no hidden or ulterior motives. That being said, it saddens me when people who don't believe in God criticize such efforts as an irrational waste of the human race's resources. You have a right to be atheist, and I would defend that to any other religious person, but I also have every right to continue to be a Christian. I recognize that religion has been used as an excuse to violate the rights of others in the past, but there's no reason why we need to swing society the other way.
That's what has always struck me negatively, at least from Christianity. When I went to Church, the only reason they told me to follow the commandments or accept Christ was so that I can go to heaven. They were only trying to appeal to my inner-selfishness. I've since changed, and simplified that teaching. Doing good is the natural order and will benefit myself in the long-term for the least amount of total effort invested. It's as simple as that, and no lying required (I say lying because none of the Christians could honestly verify going to heaven, but presented it as if it was basically fact to tons of young impressionable children).
Many pastors I've met always had amazing stories about how they used to be really bad, and gave examples of their previous life behaviors. What's funny is that this did not relate to me at all, as I was never that bad and couldn't imagine why someone would do those (in my opinion) horrible things. It led me to believe that Christianity appealed to those who sinned, because it promised that one thing, forgiveness and salvation, regardless of whether you deserved it. All you had to say was "I believe..."
Not all atheists lack spirituality, and not all are moral-less. You can totally believe in a greater cause without having to invent things.
The thing is, though, it's not like I invented my beliefs because I needed a reason to serve - I believe because of (though you may disgaree) rational reasons and experiences I've had that although I can't reproduce them or verify them to others, I consider empirical as far as myself is concerned. If I sincerely believe that to be the truth and a source of great happiness, I wouldn't call it a waste that I spent 2 years inviting others to try achieve the same. If they decline, that's fine and I think no less of them, but it's not like my beliefs are the only reason I have for trying to serve others. I still serve in other ways and for other reasons - believing in God doesn't mean I wouldn't try to do good otherwise.
>> Not all atheists lack spirituality, and not all are moral-less. You can totally believe in a greater cause without having to invent things.
Wholeheartedly agree - I hope I have not implied anything to the contrary.
My point of contention is the belief that tricking people into doing good as an end that justifies the means is acceptable. I don't believe people should be tricked into doing good. I don't believe they are even doing good when they don't fundamentally understand why they should be doing good. What results from this process is just a bunch of bad and evil people trying to forgive themselves of their sins. They'll invade the religion, corrupt it, and pretty soon over time organized religion will just be filled with these types of people. THAT'S the reason why it's bad to just trick people into doing good. Your religion will just start attracting these false worshippers, and you end up with religions filled with hypocrites. Religion is not objective. It is subjective, so it is very prone to be distorted and bent and shaped to satisfy the needs of both good and evil people. If you start making compromises and just get people who want to "serve for a reward," you'll end up slowly corrupting the religion and letting those evil people infiltrate, shape, and dominate it. This obviously hasn't just started happening, it's been happening over centuries. And yes, there ARE actual good Christians, but it's harder to tell them apart from the corrupted ones. The corrupted ones are the ones the liberals and the atheists hate, because they are at the forefront of intolerance, outdated traditionalism, and hypocrisy. They give the GOOD Christians a bad name. Unfortunately, this easy corruption of religion is fundamental to the way it operates. If you indiscriminately acquire new religion members, your religion is prone to infection, like an open wound. This is why religions who don't go out with a sales force, adding whoever and whenever they can, are less prone to infection and corruption.
This is why religion that lacks a sales team has more credence because honestly, a religion that sells itself is more believable as divine and correct.
That's why I believe and live my life this way. Not for an eternal reward, but for the day to day.
That's why I, along with many others in the Mormon Church, feel that there is no better way we could spend our time than inviting others to feel the same peace.
As far as religion appealing only to those who sinned, a frequently quoted phrase in the Mormon church is that our mission is to "make a bad person good and a good person better". Nobody is perfect, and it is my personal conviction that religion, the Mormon faith in particular, is the best (not the only) way for someone to better themselves.
This is my personal belief and I realize it is not shared by most people. I share it with you not with the intention to preach or incite guilt, but to clarify and explain why we feel so strongly about our beliefs. I'm more than happy to answer any questions via email (in my profile).
This kind of showed the challenges they were having in remote parts of Ecuador, close to the Colombian border. A couple of them didn't speak Spanish very well, but they were coping well, in my estimation. So I see the connection
A mission is like college. It is what you make of it. For instance, I was a missionary with a mission. I didn't work too much with people that wanted to waste my time. I looked for people that were ready to make life changing decisions right now. I didn't find "knocking doors"/tracting to be very effective, and so while I did do it sporadically, I found other ways to meet people (ways that likely wouldn't work in the US, mind). I never sat still. I was either out meeting people, teaching them, and finding ways to help them or I was studying and thinking about better ways to help them.
I'm not sure that really made me founder material, but I did get the reap a lot of benefits of hard work. This resulted in me working harder to reap more benefits, and became a positive feedback loop for me.
This is what I have found, ten years later: Mormon missionaries are always two by two because they can't be by themselves (with the exception of being in the toilet). They aren't allowed. And you don't get to pick your "companion". You are assigned a companion and an area. Sometimes you get jerks. Sometimes you get people you just don't have anything in common with. And you don't get to put in a transfer request, or go stay at a friend's house to avoid them. You're with them. Period. This taught me to deal with people that are different than me, and not only "get along" with them, but be effective.
I did however, think that missionary work gives you a certain level of maturity that most 19-21 year olds lack at that age.