Serenity is a surprisingly good take on the future-space-save-the-world genre.

1. “Don’t worry about what anybody else is going to do. The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” Alan Kay

2. “Innovation and success requires bold moves in environments of ridicule, a love of status quo, jealousy and skepticism.”

3. “Audentes fortuna juvat.” (Fortune favors the bold.) Virgil

I’m working on a new thing right now that has been drawing my attention for a while. It’s something I see a real need for, something that hasn’t been done before.

A lot of people see its potential, while others see me as a reckless aspirant who knows nothing about pulling off anything of this sort. This may be true. But what I keep returning to is this — how will anyone ever know if I don’t try — especially me?

I see things like this post over at 37signals entitled “Great companies aren’t born, they’re grown,” and I continue to think more deeply about the possibilities of this venture. A quick excerpt:

Apple started in a garage. Dell started in a dorm room. Starbucks started with a single store…Great companies need to grow into great companies. They need room to make mistakes. They need room to go unnoticed for a while. They’re just like people. Be ambitious, but grow into it.

Dell started with $1,000. Many were started by college dropouts. All had a few things: passion, ambition and a desire to do something in a better and different way. They simply lacked experience because — guess what? — they were all so young.

They all sound startlingly similar to my present situation.

I’ve read so many opinions on the plusses and minuses of using online services such as LinkedIn to expand and solidify business relationships. Generally, it goes something like this:

1. Those against using online “social networking” services such as LinkedIn see it as a hindrance or simply a waste of time after taking some experiencing part of the network. They say “why can’t I just pick up the phone and call my people?” Opponents view LinkedIn as inhuman and hardly helpful. As Lance Ulanoff from PC Magazine wrote,

   I guess that’s what I’m starting to yearn for—a less automated or even less
   intelligent choice for making personal and business connections. Let’s face it: The connections we remember the most are the ones we’ve made in person where we’ve exchanged cards and conversation—possibly even emotions and ideas.

2. Those that are enthusiastic about the service and seem to take time to understand its value. LinkedIn is not going to, nor is it meant to, replace human interaction. Rather, it is intended to foster interaction by highlighting common or sought-after relationships within your contacts’ own networks, as stated by founder Reid Hoffman:

   LinkedIn allows two people, who link to each other, to exchange networks for professional goals. “Exchange networks” means that you will represent this person and their network to your network (on a case by case basis); and that you will represent your network to this
   person and their network. It’s very “web of trust.”

   Another example is more informational:,

   Let’s say you have a business meeting with the VP of Marketing at a major corporation next week. If it weren’t for his profile on LinkedIn (say, if you were having this meeting three years ago), how would you learn where he went to school, where he worked before his current job, and other details about him? With the help of his LinkedIn profile, you’re a zillion times better prepared for the meeting.

Paul Allen, for me, has by far represented one of the best uses of LinkedIn — he seamlessly integrates it into his everyday professional life. In an article by Entrepreneur this past July, Allen apparently:

made a new rule: If you’re not a member of the LinkedIn network with a minimum of 10 connections and two endorsements on the site, don’t even bother calling him. “The most important thing for an entrepreneur is not necessarily what they know, but who they know,” says Allen.

What a great idea — Allen is using LinkedIn as an effective measure of how involved entrepreneurs are/have been in spreading the word about their new product or making partnerhips. And wait, there’s more! Allen can also check on their contacts to gauge an entrepreneur’s reputation. Brilliant!

This man has it right.

Paul Graham’s Y-Combinator Startup Schools are probably the best way to encourage entrepreneurial thinking, especially around technology. I want to go to one!

Does anyone know of anyone who has?