Living the Startup Life

Our government baffles me sometimes:

Think the bill passed?

Yes, it is true… we just launched and we’re having a party

Our site will learn how to run before it can crawl 

Everyday I watch the news and feel that my country is giving me the right information.  When the media tells me that Georgia is under attack and that Russia is the aggressor and evil in this conflict, I believe them.

I forget that the media IS propaganda.  You cannot trust anything you see on the news because it has been filtered through “the man” so that we see what the goverment wants us to see.  This is no better than 1984:

Fox News is the WORST and most bias news station out there.  I hope that everyone sees how they don’t let the little girl and her mom speak because they’re telling a different side of what’s happening in Georgia.  DO NOT WATCH FOX NEWS

Whoa whoa… wait a mintue here!  Sex is overrated?  What?… have you lost your balls or something?  What’s wrong with you?…

Fun filled nights full of debauchery and girls came easy.  My third year at UCLA was one big blur where I would wake up half naked every other night not knowing where I had left my jeans, shoes, or dick.  I would laugh at people who stayed up studying all night and who got straight A’s saying, “Why don’t you have some fun for once in your life?” I liked the excitement of meeting a new girl, enjoyed the chase, but most of all, I loved making her fall for me.  I was trapped in a game and let my animal instincts take control of me.

In that period of my life, I did not care about anything but instant gratification.  I was lost, and I would ignore thoughts about the future by turning to my favorite pass time - girls.  For you, it could be video games, TV shows, or alcohol.

Productivity. What does it mean to be truly productive with your life?  Hanging out with friends and drinking alcohol all night is fun for the moment, but I always wake up in the morning vowing to never drink again.  Same with video games.  You spend all of your time leveling-up your character and getting new features, only to have your hard work made completely insignificant once the new version of the game comes out.

There is nothing wrong with me.  I love sex.  My girlfriend is amazing.  But I now understand that short-term moments of happiness are minuscule in the grand scheme of life.

How do you want to live your life?  Are you content with living a comfortable life working your 9-5?  If you look inside of you, I believe you will find that you want to reach self-actualization.  You want to reach a point in your life where you are making a positive contribution to the world.  You want to be able to say that the world was a better place because you existed.

The best way to reach the point of self-actualization is to play your life as if it were an RPG (Role Playing Game):

1. Never stop learning: In a video game, you gain experience by slaying monsters and completing quests.  Therefore in real life, you gain experience by reading, keeping up with the news, and gaining internships and a high GPA.  Become a hub of information and knowledge and people around you will begin to respect you and value your opinions much more.
2. Expand your network: Meet absolutely everyone.  In a video game, the more people you talk to, the higher the chance you have of someone telling you a hint to complete a mission, giving you an item, or providing you with secret information.  So, similar to the way you would play a game, go to Digg, Stumble, and Twitter and start expanding your network on those site.  The connection you make on those sites can greatly benefit you in real life.
3. Find the perfect relationship.  A meaningful and loving relationship will make you much happier than any one-night stand.  As an entrepreneur with my personality type, it is much more productive to be in a serious relationship than to be single, and here’s why:  If I was single, I would be out there chasing girls left and right.  I would not be able to focus on my company because all I would be thinking about is who my next piece would be.

   There are many studies that have shown that great sex makes you healthier and happier.  Therefore, if I was not getting any because I didn’t meet any girls this week, then my work would be greatly affected because I would be unhealthy and sad.  If I was getting a lot of sex this week because I met a lot of girls, my work would still suffer because I would be spending all of my time and energy getting girls rather than on my startup.  Find the perfect relationship because you will be healthy, happy, and you’ll be able to spend a lot of time on your startup.

This post is not about “Sex” being overrated.  It is about getting you to strive for something more.  Entrepreneurship is how I will contribute to society and make the world a better place.  How will you do it?

Here is a question that an ambitious young undergraduate asked me:

“Dear Jun,

I am young college student and thinking about opening up my own business some time soon. I stumbled to your blog and I was reading up how you started up your company and since you started your own company I have a quick question for you . Where did you find the funding to start up your company? Or If its something that you feel like you can share, how did you go about starting up your company?”

I’m glad you reached out.

While at UCLA, I founded a business organization, founded the Undergraduate Case Competition, and founded a small business consulting firm.  I had an amazing time starting organizations and companies as an undergrad.  This is where I got a taste for entrepreneurship and got hooked.  You will love your startup like your own baby.

After I graduated, I worked at an International Consulting Firm for about 3 months when I realized that the corporate life is not for me.  I spoke with my friends who I founded the organization, competition, and company with as an undergrad and we decided to step away from our corporate careers and live the passionate life as entrepreneurs.

Step 1: Find your dream team. These are the people you are going to spend night and day working with.  You will argue, hate each other, and love each other.  If you can’t love these people, they don’t belong on your team; if they can’t bring unique value, they don’t belong on your team.

Step 2: Move back home to save on cash. I’m going to be honest, the entrepreneurial life is HARD.  It is so much harder than starting an organization on campus or starting a company as an undergrad.  You are out on your own, have to get clients on your own, and have to conserve in every possible way.  I moved back home to save money.

Step 3: Get people to work for you for free.  How can you possibly get people to work for you for free?  The answer is experience and mentorship.  Our generation cares more for guidance and experience than money.  If we don’t love the culture or work that we’re doing, we’re going to switch jobs, no matter how much we’re getting paid.  As a graduate, you can hire undergraduates for your startup and teach them everything you know about business.  Knowledge is much more valuable for undergraduates than money.

Our funding comes from our savings and from bootstrapping from friends and family.

I hope this quick post helps all of you get started as entrepreneurs.  For what to avoid as an entrepreneur, read this great post about what NOT to do.  If anyone has any other questions, please feel free to ask and I’ll respond immediately.

I was stumbling around Flickr today and I found this neat vid:

If everyone who lived 10 miles or less from work rode their bikes to work, we could make a great impact in helping the environment.  When I move up to LA, I won’t even bring my car.  I’ll have to bike it or take the bus 

Read me at HeyStephanie.com on 12seconds.tv

I was recently featured as a guest blogger on my friend’s blog HeyStephanie! I wrote about the new video site 12Seconds.tv and how you can utilize it to spread your personal brand. The site is so new, that you can easily leverage what I’ve learned from social media and YouTube to become a 12Second star!

If you guys want an invitation to the site, just shoot me an email at jun (dot) loayza (at) gmail.com.

This is a pretty cool site.  Think Twitter for video.

I was lucky enough to engage in a phone conference with Penelope Trunk where she spoke about her 5 Rules of Blogging.  The rules were sound pieces of advice, and they perfectly match my 5 Rules of First Dates.  Here are the exact comparisons:

Rule #1: Keep it short

Blog posts should be kept to a maximum of 600-700 words.

First dates should start and end with one event.  A lot of men make the mistake of trying to drag on the first date forever. I don’t care if you’re having the time of your life, end the date on a high note so that you leave her wanting more.

Another common mistake is that you make your move too soon.  Unless all you want to do is sleep with her, making a move on the first date just shows that you’re looking for some ass rather than a real relationship.  If this girl means something to you, then you should wait.

Rule #2: Do something fresh

Don’t write the same old boring stuff.  What do you do if you can’t think of a fresh topic?  Check out what’s being talked about on the blogosphere and see if you disagree with anyone’s opinion.  The topic doesn’t necessarily have to be fresh; your different take on a saturated topic can be new to your readers.

Girls love it when you do something fun, exciting, and out of the ordinary.  Just because you’re taking her to dinner doesn’t mean that you can’t do something out of the ordinary.  You see, “out of the ordinary” is all relative.  Something ordinary for you can be extraordinary for her.  Take her to a restaurant she’s never been to, or better yet, take her on an adventure.  That’s what I did with my girlfriend.  I took her to a Brazilian restaurant and took her out skating across the UCLA campus.  It was perfect!  She had never before gone skating, and I took her on a little adventure.  Skating might be ordinary to many of you, but skating was extraordinary for Kim.

Rule #3: Personalize it!

Don’t just repeat a news story; write about YOUR opinions and how it affects you.  Better yet, what is the main theme of your blog?  You can tie everything you write about to the main theme of your blog.

A very common mistake guys make is that they let the girl do all of the talking.  A guy gets into this mode of asking 20 questions because for some reason we think that “girls love to talk.”  Yes, they do love to talk, but more than anything else, they love to be enlightened, entertained, or shown something new.  Talk about what’s important to you, tell personal stories, be charismatic, and most importantly, take control of the date.  Remember, this is your date (this is your blog), you control the tempo of the date and you control the conversations.  Show her that you are man enough to control her.

Rule #4: Establish a Community

Think about who you’re tailoring your blog post for.  If you’re targeting undergraduates, then speak directly to them.  If you’re targeting professionals who are tired of their work and are looking for some advice to make their lives better, then speak directly to them.  Know your target and write for them.

This part comes after the first date.  In order to build a strong relationship with her, you have to build a community around her friends.  You don’t necessarily have to like them, but you have to make them like you and be able to hold a conversation with them.  How do you get them to like you?  It’s actually much easier than people make it out to be.  Be genuine, friendly, and make an attempt to start the conversation.  Just like on your first date, you have to take control of the conversation and start telling your stories.  Everybody can listen, but YOU can engage your audience (her friends) with your stories.

Rule #5: Get an Editor/Wingman

An editor is crucial for having a high quality blog.  We may think that we’ve written a golden post, but our editor tells us the truth about what’s wrong with our posts and how we can make it better.

A Wingman is more than just someone who goes with you to a club to “pick up a girl.”  A Wingman is someone that you are confident in introducing your girlfriend to.  Remember, she is constantly looking if you have high value.  My Dad has always said, “Show me who you hang out with, and I’ll tell you who you are.” This has been one of the most powerful pieces of advice in my life.  Show her that you have “cool” friends, and she’ll think even more highly of you.  [When I write "cool," I mean someone who is fun to hang out with.  Maybe your wingman has a girlfriend who you guys can double date with, that is an ideal situation.]

This is the trailer for our upcoming video series for Future Delivery - Living the Startup Life.  Let me know how you like it and if you want to watch the full episodes.