by tomnora | Apr 30, 2020 | Life Design, Psychology
(to find out who you are).
I had boss say to me early in my career, “Just be who you are, quit trying to be someone else.”
At the time it really pissed me off. Who the hell did he think he was giving me pop psychology?Maybe someone had just told him that so he was projecting. Screw him, I thought. What an asshole.
However, over the many, many years since he told me that, it’s echoed in my mind a hundred times. It’s probably the best piece of wisdom he ever gave me.
So I check myself every once in a while now.
This time we are currently in is temporary, yet it will change us permanently in some ways. Sooner than we think it will be gone. For the rest of our lives, we’ll be able to say we went through the Coronavirus, like people who experienced WWII or 9/11.
We are in the middle of a tragedy, and I’m very sad for all the suffering, pain, dying, and general disorientation we now face daily. But I’m also relieved for some of the things this time is giving us. Slow down, quiet, peace, time to reflect and possibly change some things.
Some of the best major changes in life happen as a result of a crisis or great loss. I know, I’ve had my share –– we all have. We can safely now tap into these thoughts, reflect, be honest with ourselves. It’s like repartitioning our hard drive (brain).
Our Inner Thoughts
Deep down we are all individuals, alone with our most inner thoughts that no one else knows. Usually there’s too much going on to stop and truly think about life. When an opportunity does present itself to shut off the noise –– on a hike, meditating, in our own backyard thinking.
As the world is now starting to “open up” again, this unique time will be gone forever. So make the most of it.
It will be back to the noise and grind and hustle. Will it be different? Most likely. But it won’t be as peaceful as it is right now.
So use what you have left to study who you really are, what you really want.
“Be as you are. As you see I am I am.” – James Taylor, B.S.U.R.
by tomnora | Mar 22, 2020 | Reading / Writing
Books I’m Reading …Or, have read recently, with links to Amazon to purchase.
I’m on a binge of reading –– non-fiction and fiction books so far in 2020. The genres are all over the map but somehow seem to fit my mood(s). Here are some of my recent and current reads.
1. Memoirs, Autobiographies (Non-Fiction)
There seems to be a surge of personal memoirs right now by the famous and semi-famous. I’ve always like memoirs because they’re written by the subject and are condensed into a specific period of one’s life.
I find them to be very honest and eventually uplifting.
ADRIENNE BODEUR – WILD GAME –– MY MOTHER, HER LOVER AND ME.
Adrienne Bodeur is an accomplished writer in a long line of accomplished writers, including her mother. This book is Adrienne’s personal story growing up, with some almost unbelievable twists and turns.
She is forthcoming about her mothers and her own misdeeds while tangled in a decades-long secret love affair between her mother and her father’s best friend.
DAN PERES – AS NEEDED FOR PAIN
Wow, what a crazy story. Peres was running one of the hottest magazines in the world, DETAILS, while taking up to 60 oxycontin pills a day. He bares his truth with strong writing and brutal honesty about himself and everyone around him, but is a bit pompous in his accounting.
Often autobiographies by celebrities talk about their drug use, but this one is only about his drug use.
Nevertheless, an amazing read. You’ll enjoy this ride.
LIZ PHAIR – HORROR STORIES
What ever happened to her, the 1990s pop icon? Well it’s all in here. A very revealing and humble account of her life. She is Honest, original and absolutely remarkable in her confessional writing style.
2. Business (Non-Fiction)
Entrepreneurs, Solopreneurs, Silicon Valley
This is a topic I’m very interested in right now as I build a new brand for my work and writings called startupCEO Media. I’m realising that the definition of the startup CEO is changing, and in many cases small is better.
THE FOUR – SCOTT GALLOWAY
Galloway, a professor at NYU and very successful entrepreneur, has been a predictor of the downfalls of evil-doers in tech for years. He’s usually right.
In this book he tears apart 4 giant U.S. tech companies. – – – Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google. He gives awesome statistics and lays out why these companies need to be stopped, broken up, before they destroy our economy. As a major customer of 3 of these, it was hard for me to accept that they are such ruthless businesses, but very enlightening.
My Book:
TOM NORA – HACKING THE CORE
This was my first book, published originally in 2017, then updated this year (2nd Edition).
3. Fiction –– Epic Novels:
I’ve read a couple of very good novels recently, one that is probably the best book I’ve read in years.
DELIA OWENS – WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING
The most epic novel I’ve read in a decade is WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens. I don’t usually read this type of book, I’m more into thrillers and stories about big cities. But man, this was an incredible story, and as a writer, I was fascinated with the extremely well crafted structure of this book. And it’s her first novel. Very inspiring.
It’s a story that takes place in rural South Carolina swamplands.
Books that inspired Delia when writing Crawdads.
I love reading real books made out of paper, but about half of the time I use a Kindle or iPad to read.
The Kindle is a pretty cool invention, and the cost is so low, starts at about $49 with internet access. I use the Kindle Oasis. It’s the top of the line $249 model.
Kindle Oasis
disclaimer: this page contains affiliate links.
by tomnora | Jul 26, 2017 | startup, startup CEO
(Photo by Wil Stewart on Unsplash)
Im my book HACKING THE CORE, I write about using Creativity and Innovation to help startup founders achieve that elusive goal – sustainable business growth, along with a few other things like profitability, a fun place to work, personal fulfillment.
That’s an oversimplification, but the idea is to expand your horizons, “think different” to enhance your chances for success as well as personal fulfillment along the way.
Innovate. Be creative. Discover something no one else has. Go where they’re not.
The book also talks about Wantrepreneurs and Cantrepreneurs. In my consulting work I can identify these types of people. They’re usually struggling, losing their company, walking backward towards the edge of a cliff, failing daily. Yet they’re unwilling to change their thinking.
Creativity and innovation don’t actually make sense to them in a practical application because it threatens their status quo. Deep down, change is bad to them.
Their brains are wired to do things their way – no matter what. Usually their way is to mimic someone else’s or their own successful tactics from the past. Crazy, right?
Every entrepreneur wants to innovate but some just can’t. Even in the face of doom and bankruptcy they can’t change. Another type of cantrepreneur.
They ask for help but only to help them do things their old way, and not to bring new innovation to the problem.
Why? Because that’s a threat to their self image, their power, their reputation as being the authority. Their position as the boss.
There are other people who are totally open to change, reinvention, pivoting, innovating, threatening their own beliefs, listening to others. These are the real entrepreneurs. They’re happy to be wrong. They have much better odds for success.
Which one are you?
Hacking The Core
by tomnora | Oct 26, 2014 | Angel Investor, early stage, founder, Hawaii, Revenue Growth, Scalability, startup, startup CEO, Tom Nora, venture
How is it that so many people associated with startups reap the financial benefits, yet others just as close get no financial upside This is a source of frustration among many people in the startup sphere. Imagine if you’re in Silicon Valley right now with no equity in a tech startup, but associated with several people getting six figure “bonuses” because they somehow wound up with some stock in one.
The free parties (or not free) and swag and great stories and boat rides in the bay are nice. Sometimes you’ll even score an iPad or Apple TV, but it’s not the same as being one of the insiders.
Often as startups grow and maneuver their way through the jungle of success or failure, they have a lot of help from those around them.
Often many these people don’t have any equity or upside from their advise or moral support or money lending, or even the spare couch they let you sleep on when you were in their town.
If the startup actually makes it to an IPO, there is actually something you can do.
It’s called the “Greenshoe”. You have to be very careful about this, you can’t imply or promise anything in advance, and it only works when the company goes public, but the Greenshoe is an amazing award for those involved that don’t have equity.
The Greenshoe is an over-allotment of stock options, up to 15% of the total offering at time of IPO. You can offer these options to virtually anyone, friends, family, people who helped your company. Since they’re options, acquirers only exercise if the stock goes up, and have no downside risk or capital outlay.
Upon the IPO event, the option owner can gain the upside if the stock goes up over the initial offering price and essentially collect that difference.
I’ve used it a few times when I was lucky enough to be able to offer it to friends and family. Strangely enough, some people have declined, because they’re not sure it’s legal; they’ve never heard of it. Others have bought themselves a new Lexus with it.
Here’s more info on wikipedia:
Greenshoe
The Greenshoe should provide motivation for all of us in the startup world to try to continuously build our company steadily, continuously and profitably and to know that you can make many peoples lives a little bit better by sharing the wealth. The rewards are pretty amazing.
Contact me at
#Web #Development #Digital #Strategy #Art| tomnora.com
![Silicon Valley Uber Alles? I think so… Some of their Secret Weapons.]()
by tomnora | Sep 11, 2013 | Angel Investor, Business Development, CEO Succession, Drupal, early stage, founder, Hawaii, Jobs, Launch, Revenue Growth, Scalability, startup, startup CEO, Tom Nora, venture
[contact-form][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form] Can any other region “catch up” to Silicon Valley, or be the next Silicon Valley? Statistics show that it’s probably kind of futile to even try. Many have tried, but must be content with their small market shares. How can other regions will ever match the MACHINE: Stanford, Andreesen, Draper, Valentine, Doerr, Facebook/Apple/Google Millionaires, 4 Generation VC firms, Hardware/Software partnerships, over 100 Billon $ market cap cos.
Because high tech and software industries are now being seen as lucrative, job creating, imperative and oh so sexy, many regions are trying as never before to get in on this – mobilizing their governments, old school industries, universities and grandmas to unite to be the next Silicon Valley, calling themselves Silicon- Beach, Forest, Plains, Alley, Prairie, Coast, etc. These towns are setting their expectations way too high while the real Silicon Valley giggles at the sight.
Here are some of the secret weapons that make Silicon Valley stronger than any other “region” and act as its barriers to entry:
1. Silicon – Uh, yeah, that word? It’s what started all this. Silicon Valley launched and was launched by the mainstreaming of the Silicon chip over 50 years ago, which is now part of everything. There was no other part of the planet where anything close in innovation, design manufacturing, equipment, marketing and sale of semiconductors has emanated from. This foundation still drives the area and the world, even thought it gets less attention now than the software side.
2. 100 Years of Growth – It all began with military electronics, low cost housing, lots of empty land and Stanford University. It has spread way beyond to the east bay. San Francisco, over 50 universities and trillions of dollars in revenue. The growth has had bumps but over time has increased more steadily than any other economy in history.
3. Recruitment – Most of the leaders in SV are from elsewhere because Silicon Valley aggressively acquires the best from all over the world. Why not? Via Stanford, Berkeley, Facebook, Google, recruiting Harvard and MIT undergrads, their wonderful PR machine, advertising free meals, free car washes, free dry cleaning, free day care. $150,000 salary right out of college. Unlimited vacation. Where else can you gat all this?
4. Stanford – Not sure this even needs explaining, but Stanford has been a wole new entity in the past 20 years, beyond anyones imagination in wealth creation, funding, computer science, a recruiting engine into SV then on to local companies, pride, confidence, location.
5. Money, money, money – There are so many giant sources of money in SV that it’s staggering. VCs of course, Angels, they invented the term Super Angel, San Francisco, Real Estate leverage, IPO millionaires, corporate funding, Asian and European money, and on and on.
6. Tolerance for Weak Links – Here’s one most people don’t know – most people in SV aren’t stellar; I know several weak players who fake it well and are millionaires or millionaires-to-be just because they’re in the right zip code. The public tagline is everybody has a high IQ, but in reality there are lots of dwebes running around – I know, I’ve managed plenty of them. SVs leaders smartly realize the win ratio can be pretty low if you have a few enormous winners. Most SV projects die, most SV companies die, but if you build the algorithm to plan for this you’ll put more possible winners in play. So what if a few totally unqualified employees that snuck in make a few million. Like any organization, there are several who skate by or get by on good politics. That’s OK if you plan for it, “engineer” for it.
That’s just 6, there are plenty more reasons why there will only be 1 Silicon Valley for along time to come. The best answer for any other local economy is to just make the most of who you are, embrace your own identity, partner with Silicon Valley. And don’t use the word “silicon” in your name. Take Boulder, Colorado as a model, they’ve successfully created their own very strong economy for startups. There’s a startup for every 50 or so people there. They have all the pieces and they are heavily connected to Silicon Valley without envying them.
@tomnora
