Are you “in”? Lessons from a Shark Tank

I was recently asked to be a judge at a local entrepreneur contest inspired by the TV show “Shark Tank”.  The contest participants were students at Las Positas Community College, enrolled in the Business & Entrepreneurship program. Here are four of my takeaways after that half day experience:

Discussion with fellow judges Bobi White and Troy Witt

1. The future is in good hands. Relax, my friends. Yes, the challenges we face today (global, national, and local) are daunting, yet the young professionals and youth of today have the courage, drive, and creativity to confront these formidable challenges.

Ideas were on display at the Las Positas College 2014 Shark Tank

2. Barriers to Software Innovation are simply gone. We all know how easy it is to create software products (e.g. apps). The developer languages and tools we have today are making software development easier, cheaper, and more accessible than ever before.

Dayllan Maar won for his music composition app

3. Barriers to Collaboration have dropped. When did the Internet hit its stride? There are many answers to this question, but in this context the Internet hit its stride when barriers to collaboration dropped. Many participants in the contest were actively working with others in different parts of the world. The entrepreneurs of today have access to talent and knowledge on a global scale…and they are already experts at finding it and using it.

4. Barriers to Prototyping are lower than ever. Forget what you used to know about 3D Printing…this technology revolution is just getting started. It promises to usher in an era where rapid prototyping allows ideas to be explored and refined much earlier (and cheaper) in the design process than ever before.

Taylor Peissner and Anish Desai won for an all-in-one cell phone case

As the pace of progress continues to accelerate around the world, it is inspiring and comforting to know that young people have the ability to not just cope with the world, but to shape it.

May you dream bigger, reach higher, and achieve more!

Coach Alay

You’re Not As Smart as You Think

We’ve all done it: we’re listening to a lecture and we think to ourselves, “I know this,” or, “this is so obvious,” or, “this doesn’t apply to me.” Then we mentally check out.

This mindset is affectionately known as psychosclerosis, or a hardening of the mind. The mindset grows over time as we accumulate experience, success, and confidence. For a person trying to reach that next level of success, psychosclerosis sabotages one’s efforts by shutting down creative and critical thinking, and blocking the person off to new perspectives and incremental improvements.

You earn the Winning Edge by doing the little things a little bit better than your competitors.  Sports contests are often decided by fractions of an inch or fractions of a second. Business is similar. Those who consistently win know it’s about relentless improvement, consistency, discipline, and passion.

Psychosclerosis is the bane of top achievers because it stymies our ability to recognize and seize the Winning Edge. Yes, you probably do “know that already”, and 99.9% of that topic may not apply to you, and that’s OK. You’re looking for that 0.01% that will give you the winning edge. So stay focused, be present, and keep digging for that nugget of gold.

And the next time you hear the little voice in your head saying “I know”, just remember Larry Bird, one of the greatest shooters in NBA history: after missing a critical free throw in a playoff game, Larry waited until everyone had left, then he went back on the court with his shooting coach and practiced 1000 free throws so he could get even better. If Larry Bird could strive to be even better at shooting a basketball, you can strive to improve your skills too.

May you dream bigger, reach higher, and achieve more,

Coach Alay