Start-up land is just a big game. newquill is at a distinct advantage in the New York tech landscape because we come from the ultimate simulation: Hollywood. It’s the same thing – except beauty loses its power and brilliance takes the stage. They’re essentially the same – don’t see it? Ask David Fincher.
One of the new media literacies is simulation. A simulation happens when the real-world is distilled into manageable parts of a greater system, when consequences are severely reduced or eliminated, and when risk-taking is encouraged and, often, necessary in order to succeed.
Education should feel a lot more like a simulation for the real world than a protection against it. The idea of the incubator is, in fact, the ideal learning environment.
The teams are allowed to focus on what they do best: product development and sales. Legal issues, corporation building, accounting and banking, and seed funding are taken care of – all we have to do is pretend like we’re actually adults.
We’ve been told several times that if our company fails that it is ok. The way the system works is that the people who play hard are recognized for their work and, almost always, they get picked up by other companies that make it to the next stage, or they are employed by others who have seen their work ethic and ability during start-up time. This takes the edge off considerably.
But, most importantly, and this is the part that separates the jumpers from the jumped, you can’t be afraid of failure.
Even though we are living in an estimable dreamland, our schools have still conditioned us to fear failure. Even than it’s hard to wake up to the reality of our freedom, our opportunity, and our unprecedented access to resources at this stage in the tech bubble… wait, you didn’t know we’re in the middle of a tech bubble? Well, we are.
In a recent Tech Crunch article, VC Mark Suster was quoted as saying, “Go get yourself funded, in whatever way shape or form you have to, at whatever price you feel comfortable with, with people you trust like and respect in whatever amount and go build a company. Really in the end it’s kind of a binary outcome; You raise money and give it your all, you give it your college best and sometimes you succeed and sometimes you don’t…It’s a wonderful experience to go through.”
And he’s right! But don’t forget that it’s all just a big simulation! Don’t be afraid! Go for it! Do absurdly brave things! Don’t do absurd things – but be courageous! This is your shot!
“Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti
He’s nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs,
but he keeps on forgettin what he wrote down,
the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won’t come out
He’s choking how, everybody’s joking now
The clock’s run out, time’s up over, bloah!
Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity
Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked
He’s so mad, but he won’t give up that
Easy, no
He won’t have it , he knows his whole back’s to these ropes
It don’t matter, he’s dope
He knows that, but he’s broke
He’s so stagnant that he knows
When he goes back to his mobile home, that’s when it’s
Back to the lab again yo
This whole rhapsody
He better go capture this moment and hope it don’t pass him
[Hook:]
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo
(You better)
The soul’s escaping, through this hole that it’s gaping
This world is mine for the taking
Make me king, as we move toward a, new world order
A normal life is boring, but superstardom’s close to post mortem
It only grows harder, only grows hotter
He blows us all over these hoes is all on him
Coast to coast shows, he’s know as the globetrotter
Lonely roads, God only knows
He’s grown farther from home, he’s no father
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter
But hold your nose ’cause here goes the cold water
His hoes don’t want him no more, he’s cold product
They moved on to the next schmoe who flows
He nose dove and sold nada
So the soap opera is told and unfolds
I suppose it’s old partner but the beat goes on
Da da dum da dum da da
[Hook]
No more games, I’ma change what you call rage
Tear this motherfucking roof off like two dogs caged
I was playing in the beginning, the mood all changed
I’ve been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage
But I kept rhyming and stepwritin the next cypher
Best believe somebody’s paying the pied piper
All the pain inside amplified by the fact
That I can’t get by with my 9 to 5
And I can’t provide the right type of life for my family
Cause man, these goddam food stamps don’t buy diapers
And it’s no movie, there’s no Mekhi Phifer, this is my life
And these times are so hard, and it’s getting even harder
Trying to feed and water my seed, plus
Teeter totter caught up between being a father and a prima donna
Baby mama drama’s screaming on and
Too much for me to wanna
Stay in one spot, another day of monotony
Has gotten me to the point, I’m like a snail
I’ve got to formulate a plot or I end up in jail or shot
Success is my only motherfucking option, failure’s not
Mom, I love you, but this trailer’s got to go
I cannot grow old in Salem’s lot
So here I go it’s my shot.
Feet fail me not this may be the only opportunity that I got
[Hook]
You can do anything you set your mind to, man”
(Marshall Mathers, Luis Rusko, Jeff Bass, 2002).
It’s important to recognize that “8 Mile” – and, therefore, the story of the world’s second most influential bard – starts with a failure.
Even though we’ve been conditioned to fear, hate, abhor failure, we can’t! We have to push forward – it is not easy. But it is possible! There will be obstacles (team disagreements, investor influence), distractions (turntable.fm, facebook chat), and discouragement (rejections, competitors pulling off your idea before you can).
You must think of them all as holograms. They seem real, they seem paralyzing, but they are not. YOU ARE IN THE DANGER ROOM!
I REPEAT, YOU ARE ONLY IN THE DANGER ROOM!
These obstacles and distractions are omens, they are signs of your success. They wouldn’t happen unless you were on the right track. Press forward at all costs. Teleport like Nightcrawler if you can.
newquill 