HAT REMARKS
I want to
start by acknowledging Seth Kravitz and his many contributions to the city and to
our tech scene which is so radically different today than it was just a few
years ago in 2010 when Technori was founded. He’s been a mover and a shaker – a
history recorder and maker – and an example of all the ups and downs that are
part of the life of any decent entrepreneur. I feel like I have lived through
several of these lifetimes with him so I’m especially pleased to be here
tonight.
Seth never quit, gave up, or stopped
trying to change things for the better – to share his insights, wisdom and oratorical
gifts with the rest of us – and to take advantage of whatever opportunities and
challenges the world presented. This is an important lesson for all of us. Being smart doesn’t mean you make all good
decisions. It means you learn just as
much from your stupid ones as from the smart ones and that you make the best of
all of them. The name of the game is to WIN, not to be right all the time.
I was the subject of one of Seth’s
earliest profile pieces and I was the keynote speaker at Technori’s first
birthday party in December, 2011 way back when when HERE was a location - not a company’s name – and when NAVTEQ was the place where the birthday
party was held. And a couple of years later, I gave the keynote at the 2013 Technori
Auto Show event where I had the privilege of telling all the OEM manufacturers
why no one under 25 was ever gonna buy a car from them again. Zipcar had a great motto at the time.
They said they were “the car for people who didn’t want one” and we had no idea
just how true that would come to be. UBER
had been founded four years before in 2009 – and the world still thought that UBER was a German adverb and not Conan
the Destroyer-to-be which would slowly demolish the cab business.
And though he’s not a native, Seth’s
always been a big Chicago booster as well. One of the decisions I’m proudest of
was staying in Chicago and building almost all of my businesses here when New
York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington, DC repeatedly beckoned. It was the
right choice, Chicago’s always been home to me, and it’s a place (and a tech
community) that I couldn’t be prouder to be a small part of. I’m grateful to my
city and to all of the people who are here tonight who’ve been important
friends, partners, investors, mentors and team members at critical times
throughout my own particular journey.
I’ve been engaged in this crazy
process of trying to imagine, invent and then bring the future to life across
half a dozen very different industries ranging from autos and insurance to
education and entertainment for more than 50 years. And I’m beyond grateful because
I can’t think of a single time in my entire career when I’ve asked for help,
guidance, support or even prayer and anyone here ever turned me down.
That’s the Chicago way – pushing people forward and extending a hand back to
help those coming up behind.
I say every day that no one does anything important these
days all by themselves. Anyone who believes that he or she is self-made has a
very selective memory. I’m privileged every day at 1871 – with the help of a
great team as well as enormous support from the community – to spend my time
helping the next several generations of entrepreneurs pursue their hopes and
dreams and turn them into real businesses. Spreading the gospel of growth and
the joy of job creation and sharing the stories of what we’re building every
day throughout the city is something I’d be happy to do for free.
I’ve learned that building a business and making a difference
isn’t like running a Burger King, you
really don’t get to have it your own way. But, I can tell you that, in my life,
even with all the exciting ups and the difficult downs, I wouldn’t change a
thing. But I do wish that I knew everything then that I know now. So, let me
share just 3 simple ideas with you drawn from my long and painful past
experiences:
(1)
Make It Personal
People
who say “it’s just business, nothing personal” are full of shit. They don’t have the
fire or the desire to
succeed as entrepreneurs because they’ve forgotten
(or never learned) the most basic rule that: the one who cares the most wins. No
one cares how much you know (or how smart you are)
until they know how much you care – about them,
about the mission, and about succeeding. Don’t
tell ‘em; show ‘em. You can’t win a race with your
mouth.
(2)
Make the Most of It
No one gets hired these
days to sit around and eat pieces of chocolate cake. Every day is a race to get
bigger and better – to do things cheaper, faster,
smarter, more accessibly, etc. – and no one is going to wait for you. But the
trick is to step into these challenges and look at them as opportunities rather
than obstacles – as chances to show your mettle and prove your worth – to be
the one that people can count on in the clutch times – the go-to guy or girl.
The best entrepreneurs all share a common mindset: “if you’re not moving
forward, someone else will be” – and a common attitude; “sometimes wrong, but
never in doubt”. Your faith (especially in yourself) needs to be stronger than
your fear.
(3)
Make It Matter
My worst fears
were never about failing. Failing is just part
of the process. The real devastating fears were about
spending a significant part of my life doing something
that really didn’t matter. Life’s too short for that and it’s important to spend
your precious time here trying to make a difference
– not just in your own life - but in the lives of
others as well. We’re not all gonna cure cancer next
week, but it’s an important discipline to take
the time to ask yourself whether what you’re doing every day is
worth doing and doing with all your heart and
soul. If you can’t answer with a resounding “yes”, go
find something else to do. The greatest luxury in life isn’t getting another house or a big new car, it’s being able to
go to work every day and be excited and
enthusiastic about what you’re doing and why. And,
as we know at 1871, it doesn’t hurt a bit to be
surrounded by hundreds of others going through
the same struggles, doubts,
and pain and loving it all the same.
We live in the greatest city, in the greatest country in the
world, and the future is scary, uncertain and exciting – all at the same time.
But together, we can keep inventing it, building it and making it better –
because that’s what entrepreneurs do.
Thank you and congrats again to Seth and Technori.