Startup Houston

This past Thursday night I attended the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston’s annual Men’s Night Out event. This year’s speaker was Nando Parrado, a member of a Uruguayan rugby team that in 1972 crashed with his team in the Andes and survived against all odds over 14,000 feet in the mountains for 72 days before being rescued due to his own courage and conviction. Nando’s speech was both inspirational and heart wrenching to almost everyone in attendance. One of the things that stuck with me the most was that he believed that the greatest factor that contributed to his survival was luck: not survival instinct or teamwork, luck. Here were some examples:

• Nando sat in row 9 of the plane; everyone in rows 10 and up died instantly upon the plane’s first crash against the mountain’s peak.
• An avalanche claimed more lives on day 16; the avalanche also created a warm habitat for the survivors in the plane’s fuselage and provided additional nourishment (if you have seen Alive, then you know what this means) for the survivors.
• One of the survivors’ mother had taught him to sew at an early age. With this skill, he was able to create a sleeping bag for the group that kept them warm in the cold night.

Most at this point might be saying to themselves, “Luck? What kind of luck is it to see your mother, sister and friends die in a horrible crash and then get stranded without food or water for over 2 months?”

Life is not black and white. History is full of stories where a seemingly horrific event brings about an even greater good. Nando himself talk about how the events of those two months in the Andes helped shape who he is today and brought his daughters into the world. Who is to say what eventual good comes out of anything.

I have often said that entrepreneurial success is 5% having a good idea, 10% having the brass to take a chance on making it happen and 85% pure unfiltered luck. Where would Apple and Microsoft be today if they hadn’t “discovered” and “borrowed” the GUI from Xerox PARC back in the late 1970’s? Most of Thomas Edison’s inventions were the byproduct of luck by his own admission, although his definition of luck differs somewhat. Hard work is important but the best product with the best management team will fail if the market timing is off. Remember the Apple Newton?

Bottom line: after you have your great idea and work yourself to the bones in trying to make it happen, recognize that, as the famous Roman politician Seneca once was quoted as saying, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Have a great and long weekend, unless you are in a startup: if so, then get back to work and try and generate some good luck!