Seeing through my kids’ eyes-and through the lens of other people around me-has helped me see businesses not just for what’s offered by their current experiences, but for how they’ll resonate in the decades to come. What changes is how they fulfill those things.įor investors and entrepreneurs, it’s critical to explore how the people around you are meeting their needs. In the end, there’s a universal truth that people will always need to eat, shop, play and work. Seeing the medical system through their eyes prompted some early investments into digital health, which took off as the pandemic pushed healthcare online. Spending time with my parents, for example, I noticed how in-person doctor appointments were becoming a hassle. That’s where you’ll find the greatest opportunities. It’s essential to look beyond your personal demographics. Resist limiting your interactions to a narrow cohort. This is an important part of thriving as an entrepreneur. Their interests and their perspectives are wide ranging and quickly changing. In high school, you might have been a jock or a nerd, for example. Thinking like a kid enables you to capitalize on upsides while others are still mourning missed opportunities.Īs we get older, we start defining ourselves by categories. But this also offers a more accessible entry point for investing in technology with long-term staying power. The crypto crash has seen valuations of Web3 and blockchain companies plummet. This mentality is even more critical in a downturn, and it’s a technique leveraged by legends like Warren Buffet, who famously counsels investors to “be greedy when others are fearful.” Watching them find silver linings is a reminder of an entrepreneurial maxim: A situation is what you make of it, and challenges always bring opportunity. But for my kids, it’s an excuse to splash in puddles. If it’s a rainy day, my mood is completely ruined. So I started throwing dance parties-I got government grants to produce them, hired friends to DJ and made money selling tickets. The answer? There was nothing else to do. One of my earliest business ventures, for example, came from asking why the kids at my high school were hanging out at 7-Eleven. Curious people are more inquisitive, come up with creative ideas and acquire more knowledge. Research shows it’s a key ingredient for a growth mindset. My kids have taught me that the more curiosity I bring to my work, the better. But as you grow up, you start thinking you have all the answers. My son recently asked me: “Why can’t we have dessert before dinner?” Sure, there are nutritional reasons why he shouldn’t gorge on chocolate cake, but it got me thinking.Īll kids go through a “why” phase. Getting outside your own head as an entrepreneur or investor can start with some key perspective shifts: You don’t have to be a parent to take this approach. Today, the creator economy and Web3 are cornerstones of my portfolio as an investor and are consistent high-performers. If I limited myself to my own views, I might have missed these technologies entirely. It’s well documented how confirmation bias can mislead even seasoned investors. And I’ve seen how new tech that seems gimmicky to me, like voice transcription, becomes second nature to them. In our house, for example, mukbangs-live streamed videos of hosts eating-are a hit. I’ve noticed the power of micro-influencers in determining what they think is cool. I saw the potential of Web3 by watching how my 7- and 10-year-old interact with video games and digital assets. As they’ve grown, my kids have clued me into so many more investment opportunities. So, I invested in what would become the “creator economy.” That was just the beginning. They were short and the graphics were terrible, but they had millions of views and were generating serious ad revenue. For example, when my daughter was still a toddler, we used to play DIY YouTube videos of fairy tales. When I became a dad, I started seeing investment opportunities in places I’d never bothered to look. But if you limit yourself to your own pain points, you’re missing out on a ton of potential. As an entrepreneur, you’re always solving pain points you observe in the world around you.
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