So on Wednesday night, I checked out the Flybridge VC bowling event in NYC's Bowlmor lanes. It was pretty interesting event as I'd say the top NYC entrepreneurs were there. It got me thinking about an ongoing debate about entrepreneurship and whether entrepreneurs could be created or were just born. I've read a bunch of posts on the topic but I've come to a few realizations....
(BTW, our team was pretty awesome - i think we should have won - Baveo's Ari Greenberg, Bill from Goodwin, Stefan who just got funded, Alex and myself). Actually it's really one realization. Should an entrepreneur have a breadth of knowledge or a depth of knowledge?
I think the answer is breadth. I look at guys like Jeff Stewart (Mimeo, Urgent Career, Monitor110) and realize that his companies span many different industries (printing, sales, information). What resonates in my mind though was what Rich Forman from Register.com said at a recent M&T event.... He started Register.com as a wedding registry and it turned into a domain registry. Wow. Imagine that he was working with a bunch of folks with depth in weddings, gifting, and / or retail? They would not have been able to turn on a dime. That was cool. Speaking with Jeff, he said the same thing. Get a bunch of generalists first until you have a definitive idea on business model, product, etc. Essentially have a bunch of McKinsey entrepreneurs (breadth smart), that were former athletes (never say die), that are crazy (everyone needs some craziness) and there's your team.
Now do just do it.
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