Forward Thinking Media - Invest In Sparkles
I wrote a post a few months ago about investing in dungeons. It is was one of my best performing posts, so I wanted to share another piece of advice I’ve learned on my journey in startups and investing. Today’s lesson is a push for more investors to invest in sparkles. And when I say sparkles, it really means invest in founders with a sparkle in their eye. In today’s world, most people start out with a zest for life and a sparkle in their eye, but let the world beat it out of them over time. The sparkle in their eye slowly fades away until it’s like it never existed. Yet every so often you meet a founder who has seemed to hold on to this characteristic. They are giddy like a kid, at peace like a monk, and more excited than anyone to live their life. I describe people as having a sparkle in their eyes. And when I meet one, I go out of my way to help them, regardless of what they are working on. Why? A few reasons. First off, these types of people are contagious. They make others around them feel better and happier, and generally are well-liked because of this. This likely means that this person will be a world-class recruiter, which at the end of the day, is all a startup CEO really does. These people can be taught about business, fundraising, and networking. But experts in those disciplines cannot be taught to have a sparkle in their eye if it’s already lost. I’d argue that the world of the elite teaches young minds to get rid of their sparkle in pursuit of money, fame, and success. That the sparkle is childish and not worth having as an adult. Ironically, I have a strong thesis that the sparkle is what leads to success and prosperity, not the other way around. Often when people find this out, they feel like it’s too late for them. So another reason I like people with a sparkle in their eye is that they have been smart and brave enough to reject the common narrative and create their own for their whole life. I would say the most important reason to invest in sparkles is that I truly think these people could pay you back with more than just financial returns. Next time you meet someone who loves to smile, is full of energy, and drinks out of a large cup of life, don’t be so quick to dismiss them as foolish or naive as the world has trained you to think. If you look in their eyes, you may just find hope for the future or optimism about life that you had at some point but lost. By investing in these people, you may just find your own spark for life come back as well. And I think the financial returns will take care of themselves. This is why I suggest always invest in sparkles; Not for them, but for you. If you liked this post from Mat Sherman's Newsletter, why not share it? |
Older messages
Lose Battles, Not Wars
Friday, July 16, 2021
"Never give up" is flawed advice
Three Sunday Links - July 11th, 2021
Sunday, July 11, 2021
Here are three links I saw today that I think you'll all find interesting.
Investment Thesis #1 - Personafi
Saturday, July 10, 2021
Building Substack for Investment Analysts
Stay In Your Lane
Friday, July 2, 2021
VCs don't solve problems; they fund the problem solvers
Launching Seedscout on Product Hunt
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
We're all scouts now...
You Might Also Like
The problem with VC: Reason #384
Friday, April 26, 2024
We have brunch with HelixNano cofounder Carina Namih, Isomer enters secondaries market and the startups mitigating AI's impact on the climate. View in browser Notion flagship logo final Good
SaaSHub Weekly - Apr 25
Thursday, April 25, 2024
SaaSHub Weekly - Apr 25 Featured and useful products 12 Foot Ladder logo 12 Foot Ladder Prepend 12ft.io/ to the URL of any paywalled page, and we'll try our best to remove the paywall and get you
Editor’s Brief: The Robotics Renaissance
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Why we're entering into an automation supercycle. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Converso, Mood Board AI, For Future, Editor.do, and AI Chat
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Help solve humanity's existential risks with your talent/money/time BetaList BetaList Daily Win a $100 Amazon gift card? Fill out this one-question survey about domain names. Marc Converso AI
Partnering with Dropzone: Automating Security Operations with AI
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Tomasz Tunguz Venture Capitalist If you were forwarded this newsletter, and you'd like to receive it in the future, subscribe here. Partnering with Dropzone: Automating Security Operations with
if I were starting over today…
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Read time: 1 min, 20 sec A lot of people ask me: “Pat, what would you do if you were starting all over today?” Most of the time, I think they're looking for a quick fix. (hint: there's no such
Free ecomm coaching from multi-7-figure founders >
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Sign up for foundr+ to learn more > , Here at Foundr, we believe that taking initiative should ALWAYS be rewarded. That's why YOU, as a summit attendee, will get to join an exclusive 4-week
[SaaS Club] The Long Road to Building a Scalable Enterprise SaaS
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Hey Reader Let's connect on LinkedIn! Follow me to stay in touch! Here's a quick round up of what's been going on at SaaS Club: 🎧 Podcast SightCall: The Long Road to Building a Scalable
📂 Virality can be engineered even if it’s not inherent to the product
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Today's newsletter is proudly supported by Videodeck 🎉 One of the most common questions I've gotten in the last year is: "How do we get started with video marketing?" So I
My #1 regret in life
Thursday, April 25, 2024
This email is from THIS podcast - Spotify - iTunes HAPPY THURSDAY! I'm hosting a private office hour at 12pm CT on April 26th for people on this email list ONLY. If you wanna hang out and ask me