…cuz a west coast party don’t stop.
In a previous article I talked about how I was at a New Year’s party in San Francisco where I met some very interesting people. Now, for some the word “interesting” is a loaded adjective, but in this context I mean it in the most innocuous (raise your hand if you got a dictionary for Christmas) way.
Let me start by telling you about the house. Imagine Real World meets a technology incubator. Now, add meal plans for all the house residents. And finally – put this house on Billionaire’s Row. Yes, you heard that right. Larry Ellison lives on the block.
Ok, you got the mental image of the house?
Now. What does this have to do with global citizen experiment? The new experiment.
Passion + Skills = Opportunity.
Meet M
M is a woman. M has an undergraduate degree. M also has a graduate degree. M and I had a conversation that lasted over 30 minutes, during which time she walked me through “What keeps her busy in San Francisco?” with an efficiency I have only seen in Singapore Chani airport. The bulleted list of accomplishments rolled off her tongue until she arrived at the bullet point “I’m also an angel investor”. It was at that point that had to ask her to stop. ALSO an angel investor? In. Addition. To. What?
The story just got interesting. I went to reach for my popcorn (or in this case, champagne). M works at a very large company in SF. During her day job, she works on search engine marketing – and she’s good at it. During her free time, she takes that passion, and applies it to three other startups that she believes in.
These startups are across a variety of industries, but all need one thing — search engine marketing goodness. M gives of her time. M gives of her money. M took passion + skills and created opportunity.
Meet A
A is a man. A has an undergraduate degree. A also has a graduate degree. A and I have known each other for years. During this time, he has started a dating site, a robot incubator, and even investigated bringing the zipcar model to yachts. A has skills. Everyone has that one friend that is able to bring everyone together – no matter how varied the interests. A is that guy. Couple that with the infectious way he tells the story of his next venture, A has skills.
But how does A do it? Consistently, methodically coming up with ideas, getting others excited about his ideas? Simple. Passion + Skills = Opportunity.
And there are so many others…
I want to thank everyone that I met that night – for keeping it simple, for reminding me of the basics. Passion + Skills = Opportunity.
Global Citizen. Out.
