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From Rod’s Success Secrets. Click here for the rest of the ongoing series.
by Rod D. Martin
July 29, 2015
Must you be ruthless and selfish to be a successful entrepreneur? No. It’s exactly the opposite.
An entrepreneur must be ruthless with himself — he needs to be a disciplined machine — but the rest of what he does is an exercise in following the Golden Rule.
The entrepreneur brings a new product or service to market. When he begins, no one wants it. So if he wants to be successful, his first and foremost goal must be to solve a problem many people have, in a way those people would want it to be solved.
How to do this will not always be obvious, either to the entrepreneur or to his prospects. No one had ever used an iPhone before Apple created it, so it was not clear that anyone would want to use one, much less pay $850 for one (much less pay $850 ever year or two for a new one).
This is the chief risk in an entrepreneurial venture: will they want it? This is not about ruthlessness or selfishness. It’s about thinking of the other guy first. What does he want? What does he need? How could his life be made better? And after you answer that question as best you can, and after you sink a lot of your own time and money, as well as that of your investors, into creating your solution to the problem, you still have to persuade that other guy that he wants what you offer him and that your offering is the best solution available.
After all of that, you might — might — get paid.
That is capitalism in a nutshell. And it holds the distinction of being the only economic system in history that encourages people to think in this way, even when they don’t want to and wouldn’t normally do so. Every system attempts to meet basic needs: only capitalism creates the extraordinary variety we enjoy, only capitalism employs phrases-turned-beliefs like “the customer is always right” and whole business models like freemium.
Everything in a free market system is about persuasion. And persuasion always puts the other person ahead of ourselves. It necessitates respect, it requires kindness, it blossoms in sensitivity. Sometimes it’s crass, sometimes its cheesy, but sometimes so are we. It meets everyone where we are, and constantly strives to meet more of our needs: cheaper, better, faster.
Like all human systems, capitalism works imperfectly. But of all of its manifestations, entrepreneurship is capitalism’s highest expression. It is impossible, in fact, for an entrepreneurial venture to work any other way (unless you’re just stealing the investors’ money and running off to Tahiti). It is, in a sense, pure.
So be ruthless with yourself. Save the good stuff for everyone else. And by doing so, you can be very, very successful.
A version of this article appeared in Fortune Magazine, and originally appeared as an answer on Quora.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
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