ENTREPRENEURSHIP AFTER 50
Listening to The Godfather
Take out the head trash and get to work
I grew up in a simpler time. The time before cell phones, Playstation 5, and a political climate that has convinced us that we should all hate each other. That means I grew up in a time when we still listened to our elders.
My Godfather was a long-time neighbor and close family friend named Doug Stegner. Perhaps obviously, I simply called him “The Godfather.” The nickname was appropriate, as he moved through the world with an air of reserved confidence that, like Marlon Brando in the movie of the same name, was equal parts intimidating and infectious.
The Best Advice
I’ll never forget the most compelling piece of advice The Godfather gave me. We were standing in his driveway at a neighborhood get together when he told me the key to happiness was working for yourself.
I was in college when we had this conversation, and working for myself seemed akin to flying to the moon. As such, for decades I never truly considered following it, but for some reason that conversation with The Godfather was forever burned into my memory.
He probably gave that same advice to many people, but his counsel felt tailored to me. It felt as if he had crafted it specifically because of who I was and what he saw in my future, not just because of my age or my pending graduation.
As I’m sure he hoped it would, this one discussion became a singular moment in my young life that stuck with me forever. Obviously not coincidentally, every one of The Godfather’s five children worked for themselves for much if not all of their careers.
While my discussion with The Godfather was a single moment in time, I’m guessing he drilled this guidance into each of his kids from the time they were little. How else to explain a 100% success rate in producing a legion of homegrown entrepreneurs?
I Finally Listened
Some 33 years after the fact, I finally listened to The Godfather. I took out the head trash that repeatedly told me my ideas weren’t good enough, that it wasn’t the right time, and that working for someone else was the path of least resistance.
While working for someone else is almost always “easier,” that rarely makes it the most interesting, rewarding, or financially sound direction.
Our time on the planet is criminally brief. It’s made up of mostly fleeting moments that don’t necessarily need to stick in your memory banks. But there are a handful that have the potential to change your entire future. If you find yourself revisiting a 30-second conversation 30 years down the road, that was likely one of those moments.
No Better Time Than Now
Looking back, I like to think my parents chose Mr. Stegner as my Godfather because they sensed he would have a lasting impact on me. Whether that’s true or not, that’s precisely what happened. I’m not sure I would have had the confidence to follow my after-50 entrepreneurial path without his advice still reverberating.
Like I finally did, listen to The Godfather. There is no better time than now. Your ideas are powerful and will compel others to act. And your life, when you decide for yourself how hard to work, what kind of team to surround yourself with, and how to value your offering, will instantly become more interesting and fulfilling, just like The Godfather’s was.
