Founders at Work.pdf

James Currier 389
results. It was just obvious to me that you could build a huge media company on
the back of this thing. So I was relatively paranoid about that and only talked to
people that I trusted.
But what I got back was, “I don’t understand what the heck you’re talking
about.” All the people that I had been talking with about digital media, selfhelp,
and psychology with, they still didn’t understand what the hell I was trying
to do. I couldn’t find the words to describe the vision.
Livingston: Why did they not get it? What did they misunderstand?
Currier: I think there are very few people who have a capacity to see the
future. So it can be difficult when you are talking about something where
nothing about it exists yet.
At the time, everyone was caught up in the success of Broadcast.com,
iVillage, and Women.com, so they believed in their value. Instead of saying,
“The people who are buying those companies are stupid,” they were saying,
“Those guys must know something I don’t know.”
Since most humans have a much easier time understanding what is, if you
suggest that what they see is wrong, it’s very disconcerting and they hate it.
Because they are trying to understand their world and predict their future—
that’s the main function of the cerebrum, to find the patterns and predict what
is going to happen next—and insofar as they realize that the future to them is
somewhat gray, or even black, it’s scary. So then they go and have another conversation
and everyone says, “Broadcast.com, oh that’s so cool.” Everyone nods
and smiles and that’s the type of pack animal collective creating reality. And
when you go against that, it’s painful.
Livingston: What else was challenging?
Currier: Where you are is never enough for the people around you. Because
starting a company is the act of collecting and organizing the human energy that
is in the ether. You are trying to take all this matter that’s around you and shape
it into something that fits with what’s in your head. And all these people who are
being shaped want to know where you are now and want you to take another
step along the path so that they can feel more confident. They are always
searching for more confidence points.
For example:
“What are you calling it? Give it a name so we can talk about it.”
So you decide on a name—Emode.
“Do you have a business plan?”
So I would give them a one-page business summary.
“No, I want a real business plan.”
So I wrote a business plan.
“Do you have any employees?”
“No, I don’t have any employees. I need to go get some.”
“Do you have any money?”
And you go talk to some angels.
“Do you have an office?”