Brad Feld, Fred Wilson, and Bill Gurley have impressed me on how they write so often (and there are many others). In discussing it with them, they say it really helps them process thoughts, events, and information as well as forcing them to continue to push them forward to be innovative. I have publicly applauded them and encouraged others to do the same but not done it myself.
Well, here we finally go…
This blog is going to be thoughts I have on a daily/weekly basis that are not well enough formed to be what I would consider an article (long form for me) but they are longer than a tweet (short form). This medium form of content will be to help me formulate my thoughts and then stimulate discussion so we can all learn more.
A colleague of mine, MIT Sloan Professor and now Dean of the Asia School of Business Charlie Fine, once told me when I released my first book that I would learn more AFTER I wrote the book than I would in the process of writing it. He was right. Once you put something out there in writing, it is concrete, and those who are interested in the topic, react… and then you have an opportunity to respond. This back and forth dialogue is what creates real knowledge. The sole philosopher sitting high on a mountain (or ivory tower) writing sacred scrolls that are then distributed as the truth is no model I am excited to be part of.
With all the other blogs out there, what will my focus so to be differentiated, interesting and add value? It will be as an unapologetic entrepreneurship educator. It will be as an entrepreneurship educator who has an engineering trained brain. I also have the great fortune to be based at MIT which reinforces this systematic mindset. This has it positive and negative dimensions and I hope you readers will call me out on this.
I always say that if everyone agrees, there are too many people in the room. So please comment and feel free to agree, disagree and constructively debate but most of all, add to the dialogue – a two-way information exchange. This is why I call it “Coffee Shop Musings” and not just “Musings” (which could be one way) because the goal is to generate conversation. The collective wisdom of the group is more than any one individual in it. No one person or institution has a monopoly, or even close to it, on knowledge in the area of entrepreneurship. This distributed and open mode is how we will advance the field of entrepreneurship to make it a respected field by academics, students and practitioners. That is my goal because I believe that innovation-driven entrepreneurship education at scale can help make the world a much better place and we need that now more than ever.
The author
Bill Aulet
A longtime successful entrepreneur, Bill is the Managing Director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and Professor of the Practice at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is changing the way entrepreneurship is understood, taught, and practiced around the world.
The Disciplined Entrepreneurship Toolbox
Stay ahead by using the 24 steps together with your team, mentors, and investors.
The books
This methodology with 24 steps and 15 tactics was created at MIT to help you translate your technology or idea into innovative new products. The books were designed for first-time and repeat entrepreneurs so that they can build great ventures.
