Changing directions can be scary, especially if you have taken a lot of time devising the original plan. But the thing is, you can’t predict life. If you think you have total control over your plan, you’re setting yourself up for failure because something unexpected will inevitably occur.
However, if you accept that life will throw you curveballs (both good and bad), the unexpected moments can turn into the greatest opportunities. Had Tony and Bob been dead-set on sticking to the plan, the lack of funding from the bank could have completely derailed them. Or they could have ignored their customers and neglected the opportunity to take their business in a new, and better, direction.
When I asked Tony what the greatest lesson he’d learned in the past five years was, he told me this: “Start small.”
He said, oftentimes, the idea you are most excited about ends up going nowhere while an offshoot of the idea becomes an unexpected hit. That is why they roll out new products in small test batches; if it works, they roll it out to the whole market.
Starting small allows them to take smart risks. Take enough small risks, and you can start to see big change. It’s a smart strategy, much better than devising a grand scheme and then aborting it at the first sign it won’t work.
* * *
I was thinking about my conversation with Tony while walking back to the hostel from the Stoats Headquarters.
A year ago I hadn’t planned to be drinking coffee in Europe. I’d just wanted to meet new people in the city where I lived, so took a risk and invited a stranger to coffee. It worked, so I kept at it; one thing led to another, and I ended up in Scotland surrounded by beautiful scenery and wonderful people—and drinking coffee with strangers.
While it is important to plan ahead, success does not require some big, elaborate scheme. It requires the courage to take that first step. And then another. And then another.
If you can do that, life will take you to incredible—and deliciously unexpected—places.
Steve Wozniak
Marie Calendar’s in Los Gatos, California
Water over lunch
Talent is overrated; it’s practice that’s important.
This story begins nine months before our meeting happened. Around Cup 16, I was talking about 52 Cups with Todd, a friend at work, when an idea hit him, “You should try to set up a meeting with Woz, the co-founder of Apple! I know he’d do it—in fact, I bet he’d even fly to Michigan.”
I figured I had nothing to lose, so I explored ways to contact him. I searched his website, tried Facebook, asked a few friends. Nothing worked. My last resort was to search “Steve Wozniak” on anywho.com. I called the phone number, only to reach Steve Wozniak the pro fishing reporter, not Steve Wozniak the computer genius. I decided that it just wasn’t meant to be and moved on.
Then March rolled around, and one day I woke up to this email from a good friend at Michigan State: FYI, Steve Wozniak will be the June commencement speaker. I bet we could get a coffee date set for you.
A strange feeling washed over me. Todd had been right; Steve Wozniak was flying to Michigan. And there was a chance we could have coffee.
The day of graduation, I found a way to get invited to a reception where he was speaking, (and stood next to him while drinking a cup of coffee—but that doesn’t count). He was fascinating to talk with and very approachable, so I explained my project and invited him for coffee. He said he’d love to, but would have to take a rain check; he was headed to Detroit to watch a hockey game before his flight back to California. He gave me his business card and told me to email him sometime.
So I did. I sent him an email from Budapest, to let him know I was planning a trip to San Francisco to visit friends in July, and would love to meet up if he were around. A half-dozen email exchanges and a couple of flights later, I was riding my friend’s green beach-cruiser bike down the sunny, tree-lined, streets of Palo Alto to meet Woz and his wife for lunch.
* * *
It was a fantastic lunch, culminating with a piece of wisdom that emerged when I asked him how he and his family had stayed grounded amid the fame and success. His advice, “Be true to yourself. Find out who you are and what you value—then don’t let anything deter you.”
For as long as Woz could remember, he had wanted to design computers. In high school, in college, in his first year working, Woz was designing computers during every spare moment. During his first year at Hewlett Packard, he designed the revolutionary Apple I and Apple II computers during nights and weekends away from work.
Woz knew he was been born to build computers—not because he wanted to make a million dollars or start a revolutionary new company, but because nothing brought him greater joy than solving complex computer problems. After he designed the Apple I, he actually gave away the designs to anyone who wanted them.
When he designed the Apple II, he was planning on doing the same thing, until Steve Jobs approached him about starting a company to commercialize the computer. At first, Woz said no. He didn’t want to be a businessman; he wanted to be an electronics engineer. At the time, Hewlett Packard was the most prestigious place for engineers, so Woz saw no reason to leave.
But Jobs was insistent. He eventually won over Woz and they went on to found a company that revolutionized home computers and changed the future of technology forever.
Of course, it was much more complicated than that, but the bottom line is that Woz helped create a company that most entrepreneurs could only dream about building.
Then he walked away from it.
One reason was that a near-fatal plane crash left him with retrograde amnesia. He had no recollection of the crash, and also struggled with day-to-day short-term memory (although he did eventually restore his memory). The other reason was that he wanted to finish the college degree he’d abandoned when he went to start Apple.
What happened next was surprising. He became a teacher, to fifth-grade kids. It was an atypical move, but Woz isn’t typical. He knows himself well enough to trust his decisions, even when they seem crazy to the outside world.
That’s what impressed me most about Woz. More than his fame, his genius, and the fact that he had co-founded one of my favorite brands—it was his self-awareness (and self-assurance) that impressed me.
To know exactly who you are—and accept who you are—is a rare quality.
Sitting down with Woz and hearing him talk so candidly, and in such a genuine and humble manor, was refreshing.
Woz wasn’t born with his computer talent. His expertise had been a gradual progression that developed because he was passionate and willing to work at the skill tirelessly.
That is the most important takeaway from Cup 45: Most people aren’t born with remarkable talent.
While it’s undeniable that Woz had an aptitude for computers, it was the hours, and hours, and hours of dedicated practice that gave him the ability to revolutionize the computer world.
If he hadn’t been devoted to the craft, his skills would have been wasted.
Regardless of what your skills are and where you start, you can always get better. The people who are leaders in their field didn’t start at the top; they worked their way there. I’m not saying natural aptitude isn’t important; it is, just probably not as important as you think. Woz is a fantastic public speaker. His keynote at Michigan State’s graduation was a great blend of information, inspiration, and entertainment. That’s why he is invited to speak at events around the world—and why you would assume Woz had a natural aptitude for public speaking.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. Growing up, Woz was so shy he wouldn’t raise his hand in class or talk to the other kids in his computer club. He feared public speaking. But as the co-founder of Apple, he had people wanting to hear him speak, so he had to face his fear of public speaking. With devotion and practice, he developed a talent he never knew he had.
I understand this is a difficult idea for most people to believe. It is much easier to convince yourself that you
just don’t have the right kind or amount of talent, rather than accept the scary idea that success is attainable, just with a lot of hard work. It’s easier sometimes to give up than to grow. I know this, because I have done it many times.
But Woz showed me how wrong I was to assume that talent has to be innate—he took away my excuse. Now I couldn’t take the easy way out and blame my lack of talent. I would have to put in the hard work to develop talent.
Bo Fishback
A local coffee shop in Kansas City, Missouri
Small brewed coffee
You have more potential than you think.
Bo Fishback was the self-proclaimed luckiest man in the world. By age 30, he had found his dream job. He worked as the president of Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation in Kansas City, Missouri, where his main task was allocating 100 million dollars a year to various entrepreneurial projects. It was a job that was easy to love, and one he saw himself doing for another 20 years.
Then, one Monday in February, he walked into work and announced his resignation—effective immediately.
The news came as a shock to Kauffman. It probably came as a shock to Bo as well—when he left work on Friday he had every intention of returning the following Monday. But life intervened.
At the insistence of his good friend, Eric Koester, Bo had gone to Los Angeles, where he competed in a 54-hour Startup Weekend Event. He pitched an idea that had been rolling around the back of his mind for a while. It was a last-minute decision to compete, and the decision paid off: not only did Bo’s team win; they had attracted the attention of investors (including Ashton Kutcher), and raised nearly a million dollars overnight.
He explained this as we sat sipping coffee at the coffee shop in Kansas City, a five-minute walk from the headquarters of Zaarly—one of the fastest-growing, most-talked about start-ups of 2012. In just seven months, they had scaled their product, assembled a dynamic team, and left a noticeable impact on cities nationwide.
* * *
Bo had always known he would start a company. When he was four years old, Bo’s father left his job at a hospital to start his own company, selling respiratory therapy supplies. When Bo was 18, his father sold his company and retired comfortably. Watching his dad run a business instilled the entrepreneurial bug in both Bo and his brother, who was also a successful entrepreneur.
However, at age 18, Bo didn’t expect to be in the position he was in today. He’d grown up in a small Georgia town, where he drove 50 miles to and from school. By the time senior year rolled around, his top concern was finding a school outside of Georgia, where he could play basketball (he’s 6’8”), and meet girls. He ended up at Southern Methodist University, and while his basketball career was short-lived, it was where he met his wife (and now mother of their newborn baby boy).
After earning a degree in Medical Biosystems, he went to work for a corporation that gave him a budget and said, “go start a new branch for our company.” You could say he met their expectations. By the time he left, the team he’d built had over 200 employees. He then started his own company that (in what he calls a complete stroke of luck) sold within eight months. Next, he decided to pursue an MBA and headed to Harvard Business School, where he once again rolled out a successful venture. That’s how he garnered the attention of Kauffman and landed a job helping other start-ups.
His motive for serial start-ups was simple: “I just like to build shit.”
And he also got lucky: “I’ve had so many experiences where luck was on my side, I’ve reached a point where I just assume I’ll be lucky.”
Of course, the harder you work, the luckier you get. And Bo worked hard.
You wouldn’t know it if you met him, though; he’s easygoing, with a propensity for fun. He’s also charismatic, optimistic, and visionary. In all honestly, after Bo took time out of his busy schedule to sit down and have a genuine conversation with me, I could have been convinced to relocate my life to Kansas City and join his team.
I wouldn’t have been the first Michigan State kid to do it. Zaarly worked its magic on three of my closest friends (which was why I was visiting Kansas City in the first place). Bo could provide a chance to create something meaningful, and it was a hard offer to turn down.
It was a big vision and Bo thought it was going to work. But, even if it didn’t, it would have been an incredible ride, an exciting chapter of life he could look back on as a reminder that he was willing to take a risk to create something great.
* * *
I will take a lot away from Cup 46, but what I will remember most is Bo’s optimism and vision.
Everyone is capable of finding that once-in-a-lifetime idea or opportunity that captures their heart and changes their life (and the lives of others)—that risky idea that somehow doesn’t seem risky at all. It is an idea you can’t get off your mind, one that creates meaning and purpose.
But sadly, not everyone knows they have this capability.
Bo said he was lucky, but it took more than luck to stumble into a dream job (twice). I asked him what made him different from those who don’t find meaningful jobs.
His answer was simple: “I surround myself with good people.”
Cup 46 is a testament to the fact that a life filled with meaning, laughter, love, and fun is possible for everyone. It takes a lot of work to make it happen, but it is possible. If you don’t believe that, surround yourself with people who do. Their contagious optimism and support will help lead you in the right direction.
Then when you find it (and don’t settle until you do), reach out and help someone else, whether it’s being a mentor to a young college student or a co-founder for a company that starts a movement.
Or better yet, do both.
Brittany Fox
A Skype call from East Lansing, Michigan to Bangkok, Thailand
Home-brewed coffee
If you never try, you will never know what is possible.
Brittany Fox had traveled to a lot of cool places.
However, in all of her travels, she never found a city to which she could envision herself moving. She liked Michigan, and that was where she wanted to stay.
Until she went to Thailand.
An interest in humanitarian work led her to a summer study abroad program spent volunteering in several different countries. When Brittany arrived in Pattaya, Thailand, she felt something she had never felt during her previous travels: a sense of connectedness. A thought from out of nowhere entered her head, “I could live here.”
A few years later, she made it happen.
Brittany relayed her story to me via Skype from her apartment in Bangkok, while preparing for a full day of work. I listened from my kitchen table in Michigan, relaxing before heading to bed. I had found her through a friend and was grateful technology made our conversation possible. The Internet connection wasn’t ideal, but it held up long enough to hear her story.
* * *
During her first visit to Thailand, Brittany was volunteering with YWAM Thailand, a center that provides help, healing, and hope for women caught in Thailand’s large prostitution industry. According to their website, Pattaya was known as Thailand’s number-one sex destination. It was home to 20,000 male, female, and child prostitutes, who attracted over one million visitors each year.
Many of the women Brittany worked with shared the same heart-breaking story—they were single mothers facing the challenge of raising their children, while taking care of their aging parents. As the financial pressures increased, they felt powerless and saw no option other than prostitution.
YWAM worked to help these young women by providing them with an education and opportunities to find a job outside of prostitution. Brittany’s role was to go into bars and clubs during the day to talk with the young girls about the organization and the opportunities available. It required bold action on Brittany’s part and taught her something truly amazing.
Her preconceived notions about prostitution—the type of women involved, their mor
als, personalities, etc.—were completely dispelled. Instead of meeting disreputable women, as she expected, she met smart, hardworking women trapped in a terrible situation because of financial troubles.
She listened with compassion, as one after another told the story of how they had come to prostitution. It seemed that each story involved an “end of the rope” moment, the final straw that convinced them to accept prostitution as their only option.
Those “end of the rope” moments had stuck with Brittany. She couldn’t stop thinking about what would be possible if an organization reached out to women during that bleakest moment to prevent them from going down a dark road.
It was a thought that stayed with her as she returned to the States to study International Relations at Michigan State. When she returned home, the first thing she did was buy a Thai language book—she knew that as soon as she graduated, she wanted to be back in Thailand.
After graduating from college, with $300 left in her bank account, she boarded a plane for Bangkok. She figured that would be enough money to survive for two months while she searched for a job with a non-profit or non-governmental organization in the area.
* * *
For a while Brittany, played around with the idea of starting her own business, but it was always more of a daydream than an actual desire. A few years before, her brother had bought her a tote bag crocheted with recycled plastic bags. She loved the uniqueness of the bag and often received compliments from people while she was wearing it.
Her brother was also doing humanitarian work in Thailand. He had fallen in love with the country when volunteering in a refugee camp after the tsunami in 2004. He knew how much Brittany liked the bag, and pointed out that it wouldn’t be hard to make one herself—in fact, it might just be a great business opportunity for her.
Brittany liked the idea, and had fun brainstorming about how she would start a company, but that’s as far as the idea went. Brittany didn’t believe in herself enough to take the next step, to turn the idea into action. She wasn’t crafty; she had never taken a business class. She simply didn’t have the skills to make it happen. She also had school loans to pay off, which meant getting a job with a larger organization would be “the responsible thing to do.”
52 Cups of Coffee: Inspiring and insightful stories for navigating life’s uncertainties Page 16
