What’s your hook?

I had interesting conversation with two entrepreneurs for their new venture. Vague product concept often kills the project. Though, we concluded that there were always “hooks” for those successful social network companies that have attracted millions of users. Productizing is the art of creating “hook” and monetizing out of “measurable” user behavior.

of Courage Undaunted “불굴의 용기”

아래 글은 제가 최근 읽었던 루이스&클라크 탐험기인 [불굴의 용기]에서 발췌한 글입니다. 미국의 영토가 현재의 모습을 갖는데 절대적인 역할을 했던 두 사람의 3년간의 모험담을 (1803-1806) 담은 책입니다. 토마스 제퍼슨 대통령이 메리웨더 루이스를 기념하며 남긴 글인데 그를 정말 아끼며 전적으로 신뢰했던 제퍼슨의 애정과, 그리고 그 신뢰를 이끌어 낼 수 있을만큼 탁월했던 루이스 대위의 진취적인 모험가 정신을 고스란히 담고 있습니다. 사업을 하고 계시거나 사업을 준비하고 계신 분들께 좋은 귀감이 되었으면 합니다.

“불굴의 용기”를 지니고, 단순히 불가능만 가지고서는 그 방향을 돌리지 않을 만큼 목표에 대한 확고함과 인내심을 소유했으며, 자신이 맡은 부하들에게 아버지만큼 자상하고, 그러면서도 질서와 규율을 유지하는 데 있어 한결같으며, 인디언의 특징이며 풍습이며 원칙에 친숙하고, 사냥꾼으로서의 생활에 익숙하며, 자기가 있는 지방의 식물과 동물에 대한 정확한 관찰을 지침으로 삼는 반면 이미 아는 대상의 기록에 시간을 허비하지 않으며, 정직하고, 사심 없고, 자유분방하고 건전한 이해심을 지니고, 진리에 대한 확신이 매우 굳건해서 그가 보고한 내용은 무엇이든지 우리 스스로가 본 것과 마찬가지로 확실하며, 마치 자연에 의해 선택이라도 된 양 이런 모든 자질들을 한 몸 안에 지닌 사람이었기 때문에, 나는 아무런 주저 없이 그 사업을 그에 맡길 수 있었던 것이다.

–토마스 제퍼슨, 1813 [불굴의 용기] (Stephen E Ambrose 저) 발췌

Of courage undaunted, possessing a firmness & perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from it’s direction, careful as a father of those committed to his charge, yet steady in the maintenance of order & discipline, intimate with the Indian character, customs & principles, habituated to the hunting life, guarded by exact observation of the vegetables & animals of his own country, against losing time in the description of objects already possessed, honest, disinterested, liberal, of sound understanding and a fidelity to truth so scrupulous that whatever he should report would be as certain as if seen by ourselves, with all these qualifications as if selected and implanted by nature in one body, for this express purpose, I could have no hesitation in confiding the enterprize to him.

— Thomas Jefferson, 1813, describing Meriwether Lewis

(wrote for V-Forum, September 14, 2010)

Great entrepreneurs never sell…

Every single business activity we handle daily basis is always involved with some sorts of sales. To a great extent, persuasion is very similar with sales. I love entrepreneurs who are great marketers and natural sales men. One of senior executives working at Sun told me the other day “great sales men never sell.” Great entrepreneurs never get rude or over-sell. Though. They can still make other people to change and make a move.

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

King Sejong and the 5/5/10 rule

King Sejong is the most innovative king of Chosun dynasty, who pioneered a number of practical creations such as Hangeul, Korean alphabets. King Sejong was a hard-working man. He was under a very tight schedule, so-called “5/5/10” rule, spending 5 hours for sleep, 5 hours for study, and 10 hours for work. That way he was able to achieve so many great things even if he had such a big job to run his kingdom.

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.