Opinion

6 things Caribbean Tech Entrepreneurs can do in tribute to Tech Visionary Steve Jobs

Published

13 years ago

October 6, 2011

Think Different

We lost the greatest tech entrepreneur of our time yesterday. Steve Jobs the co-founder of Apple, the company that through its people focused innovations, irrevocably changed the way we live and do business. He died yesterday at the age of 56. After I wrote my own personal tribute of how his life changed mine, I thought of how we can use how he lived and did business, to inspire us tech entrepreneurs here in the Caribbean. Here are 6 ways.

1. Consistently Challenge the Status Quo : We in the Caribbean tend to let things slide a little too easily, and let bad things drag out for a little too long – giving our ineffective leaders and mediocre companies nothing but loud and long talks in bars and on our patios. We then leave it right there thinking, maybe even hoping, that somehow someone else but us, will do something to change things. It’s so easy eh? Anyone can become an armchair general.

Yet I believe that if all you can do is talk, then talk in a manner that pisses off a few people; talk so that you make alot of people become uncomfortable and what you said memorable; talk so that it stirs people to action. Otherwise be quiet, go back to the beach and wait. You see, you have to realise that you were born to live your best life ( yes I stole that from Oprah but it’s so damn true), so you do have a right to talk, to do, to write, to start a movement, to challenge anything that doesn’t work anymore…to challenge the way things have always been done, yet just not relevant anymore. What are you going to challenge from right where you are ?

2. Trust yourself and be fearless in experimenting with your ideas. Often many will not see what you see, when you see it and that’s ok. Learn to feel fine with standing for something, even when you have to stand alone. And let your ideas focus on solving real problems and also giving to people, what they don’t even know they need or want as yet. Then please keep going even when something flops, just learn from it. Usain Bolt didn’t sop running after he made the mistake of false starting at the World Championships this year. He acknowledged it, learnt from it, put it behind him and went on to win other races. Is he still on the road to becoming a legend…oh hell yeah!

3. Stop hustling and Be an entrepreneur. Hustling as we see it played out in the Caribbean…is for people who play it safe, it’s for people who just want to make ends meet right now or worse, individuals who expect things to happen overnight from a single big burst of effort. Like chewing gum, a hustler’s immediate reward is temporary, no long lasting sweetness at all. In being an entrepreneur you commit to going on a journey with your ideas – even the ones you kill or others that may almost kill you. You commit to your passion, listen, learn, trust your instincts and springboard from your failures and do whatever it takes to make things happen. And frankly how else would you want to live…sitting in a silo with a bunch of what ifs, not even having an I-tried,- I failed-this-is-what-I-learnt story to share? Spare us the talk of what you’re about to do, and go do it, then come share it with us, we’re waiting. You’ll be surprised at yourself and how that single experience changes you.

4. Be Excellent at whatever you realise you love to do, even when you live in a country that doesn’t reward or recognise you for it. Do it for the sake of knowing that you’ve pushed passed your previous limits. Keep going, the rewards will come and as we all know, mediocrity achieves nothing. I’ve lived in Jamaica most of my life and it’s NOT an easy place at times to follow your passion and NOT an easy place to do business generally…until you realise you don’t have to play by many of the rules, you can break them and even create your own (keeping it legal of course) and still get ahead. Plus with the fact that we now do business in a globally connected world, with a whole new set of rules and a more level playing field, your geography is no longer a limitation.

5. Think BIG. Yes you can can change the country, the region and the world from right where you sit in Kingston, Basseterre, Bridgetown or Port of Spain. Now that we’re connected to each other online and via phone, you now have a big beautiful world at your fingertips. I dare you to explore it. Your possibilities are endless even as the challenge is to decide, what to focus on. It is cheaper, faster and easier to test your idea, start a business than any other time in our history. Once you have a computer, access to the internet and all the people who can teach you, help and work with you, plus all of that information on what you’re curious about…you have ALOT. What are you waiting on?

6. Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish. The chief role of any entrepreneur is to stay curious and to keep learning…it’s about constant and never ending improvement. Follow what you’re naturally curious about. Read alot, take classes/courses that interest you or find a mentor or two. But never, ever you stop learning.

Add your own ways via comments. Share them with us.

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