★ Tips for “Getting Here”

This arrived in my inbox today:

I’m a young (16) web designer and “entrepreneur”  and I was just wondering what the most important thing you did at my age was to get you where you are today? I mean, I read on your blog you were young (still are) when you started, so what was the thing that helped you out the most and are most proud of?

*smile*

I love getting emails like this and try to be as honest possible without throwing out the standard responses that a lot of guys in my position offer:

• Move to San Francisco
• Work really hard
• Network
• Drop out of school
• Learn to love coffee
• Introduce your self to Robert Scoble

I think the majority of these answers are bullshit. Who am I to tell someone that a move to San Francisco is the most important thing they can do in their career? Of course, a majority of what I did kind of involves all of these things so maybe I should be less harsh on these answers as valid points but I think you can achieve your dreams without loving coffee or moving to SF.

Start a blog. Do it now. Start writing about what drives you and what inspires you. Make a point to write as much as possible. If you LOVE something, writing about it will come naturally. Your brand and success rely greatly on the person you are online. The key to owning Google Page Rank for your name (especially if it’s common like Adam Jackson) is to blog and have a web presence that’s extremely active.

Don’t confuse substance with a presence on the web. If just having a blog and Twitter account is what you do, this is wrong. Substance is very important. It doesn’t matter how much you tweet or write as long as what you say is knowledgeable and smart. I’d even vote for asking more questions than giving answers. If you decide to be an authority, you’re not one. You can’t just decide to be an expert. It comes over time. Let others give accolades to your ideas, content and words. The most successful men I know were rewarded for their hard work and ideas from others. I didn’t say I’m a social media marketer out loud until enough people told me that in meetings, blog comments and emails. It took 4 years of hearing that to finally adopt the term. I wasn’t a speaker until after my 15th time on stage. I wasn’t a blogger until I get my first paying advertiser and 1,000th comment. I’m still not a “photographer”. I’m waiting until I’m published for the 100th time before calling myself that. Set goals for yourself and don’t rush thinking your’e an expert and are owed a press pass because you have a Twitter account. When the time is right, someone will just give you one.

Read more than you write. I didn’t start writing about Windows Servers until after getting Windows certificates and working on those units in my day job. I didn’t start writing about Twitter strategies and email marketing until after I did it successfully for a handful of clients and I didn’t tell you the amazingness of the iPad until after I owned one for 30 days. In fact, I didn’t say an official thing about the iPad out of the gate. People online asked me what I thought of it but I withheld judgement until I used one. You have to say less and listen more.

School is the backbone do your life. Don’t look at school as stuff you’ll never use. Anyone can tell you that. I know college graduates that tell me they didn’t learn a thing but that’s not what college is for. School is structure and acts as a backbone to very key adult things like social relationships, due dates, keeping a schedule, making it on time to meetings, focusing and learning, paying attention, being clear and concise in writing, solving complex problems and using your hands and body to build and create things. The way you interact with people in school will set you up for future relationships and the way you handle your work is how you’ll do in the future. School is absolutely crucial to every child and I recommend they focus as much as possible on school. Your high school grades don’t matter beyond college admissions as long as you graduated, then it’s fine. Dont’ drop out of grade school. Your life will be nearly ruined unless you start your own company but the skills you missed out on by dropping out is more important than the piece of paper.

Travel or Connect with People Online. If you’re not in the bay area, life isn’t ruined for you. I grew up in Florida and had dial up until I moved to California in 2008. It was a small town but I honed my skills and connected with people the bay area so when I did make the move, I was invited to a tech party the night I touched down. I got to SF and checked into a hotel w/o a job or apartment to my name at 9PM. By 11PM, I was at a LaughingSquid.com party with 50 of my closest (previously virtual) friends. Even if you never move to SF or NYC or London or Paris, you should always plan for it by making connections and traveling to these places for conferences or events. Nothing accelerates your career in your small home town than coming to the tech hubs for conferences of events.

Nothing Matters until you’re 21. Actually, I’d change that to 23 to be honest. If you can’t drink, half of your networking chances are cut out. It may be closer to 90% of chances to network are out when you can’t get into a bar or club. Also, no one really cares what you have to say until you’re 22. You may own the largest news site online or blog or social network but if you’re 19, you’re an interesting chap to talk with because you are so young. It’s cool when I talk to a 14 year old who has a blog. Knowing myself back then, I trust this guy is smart, has advertisers and is doing the right thing but I can guarantee you that I don’t respect him as I do someone who is 30 and accomplished. I’m observant of people and talking to people now compared to when I was 16 is night and day. They recognized that I had a natural talent to write and blog but what was I doing there? He didn’t really care. When the convo was over, he’d be hanging out with his adult friends and that’s just how it is. Trust me, use this to your advantage. Make mistakes, break stuff, break the law, bend the rules, study, say stupid crap, be a complete idiot but do it with a good heart and transparent style and don’t be afraid to say, “I’m 18 and I screwed up.” and people will respect you for that. Remember, once you’re 25, people won’t be so relaxed on you when you screw up but at this age, take risks and be honest with people. Everything will work out.

Get in the habit of making time for everyone. I cleared a morning meeting I had to write this post. I got up 30 minutes early and skipped breakfast to write this post. Me having a full stomach doesn’t compare to helping someone on their journey and lending advice. I’ve never turned down a coffee date with a fellow entrepreneur. I’ve never dismissed someone who’s 12 or 40 that wants to start something new. I’ve never judged someone for an idea that may fail or an idea that has already been tried. I embrace everyone as a brother and do what I can to help. If you have this trait, you will get far in life.

Don’t be afraid to shift gears. By following my advice above, things will work out for you over time but never be afraid to give up and shift gears. So many of my friends have that entrepreneur spirit but eventually fall out of love with it but they’re so deep in it that they keep doing it. This is the case for any career. This statement comes to mind:

For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

I know people my age who have forgotten this. I loved the life of an entrepreneur. So much of me misses it and the heat of living in San Francisco and the hotness of being on the edge of technology and the thrill of inventing but I fell out of love of it and decided to take my job at a corporation with a few thousand employees. I shifted and admitted to myself that it was okay to shift because I was ready for that. If you decide one day that you want to be a gardener or chef or teacher, do it! Use what you’ve learned, fall in love with gardening and be the best god damn gardener you can be. You’ll be the best gardener in the world and ,later in life, you’ll be the best father to your children and lover to your wife and teacher to youth and entrepreneur and blogger and inventer and networker. Be the best at what you love and never be afraid to take risks and shift gears when you want.

This is my advice to you. Now fall in love with something and make mistakes. :)