To Make Huge Gains, You Have To Be a Warrior

One of the things that I’d love to ask successful VCs about the people they fund is if there is a common personality characteristic between all the founders that exited successfully.  I am not talking in broad terms; executes, leadership etc.  I am talking about more microscopic characteristics.

Did they have a paper route when they were younger?  Did they do small entrepreneurial things?

If you do those things you learn a lot about what it takes to be an entrepreneur.  The ones that I know who are successful are what I would call warriors.  They are true combatants on the stage.  They win.

When the call to go to battle comes, they are first to the fight and they fight harder than anyone else. All the components of things I learned growing up come out.  MTXE, will, and competitive spirit.  Founders that win have that moxie.

A sidelight.  A couple of days ago, the FBI charged the most powerful Chicago alderman with corruption and it looks like they have the evidence to back it up.  Frankly, we knew this was going on for years and it’s only crony capitalism and corruption that allowed it to go on so long.

You might not like Trump, but he fights.  Romney doesn’t.  Bush didn’t.  Gingrich did.  Bob Michael didn’t and he was satisfied with being tossed crumbs by the opposing party for years.  Trump is forcing people to unwittingly expose who they really are and what their agenda really is.

My question is this, now that the wound has been opened, where are the Illinois Republicans?  Don’t they know how to draw a sword?  Why aren’t they using their bully pulpits to talk about it?  Why aren’t they calling for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle to resign since it was an obvious quid pro quo relationship with Alderman Burke and who knows who else?  Why aren’t they calling on businesses to end their relationship with Alderman Burke’s law firm, and frankly House Speaker Michael Madigan’s law firm where he engages in the same quid pro quo?  I thought that Sen Brady and Rep Durkin, both acquaintances of mine would be fighters.  How about any Republican?

You cannot effect change if you are not willing to be first to the fight.  I also learned that from my father in law who was an infantry officer in the Korean War.  He saw action at Bloody Bay Ridge.  Mostly hand to hand and his unit was first in.

If you are a businessperson in Illinois and continue to shovel money to Alderman Burke and Speaker Madigan’s law firms to represent you for property tax relief, you are part of the corruption problem not the answer. Crony capitalism isn’t that far from fascism.

Those people that won’t draw the sword aren’t warriors. That’s your answer.  It’s time for them to resign and turn the keys to the office over to someone else.