When you are trying to create a company, what you are really trying to do is organize a group of people to do something useful.
Time Magazine: We are here with Elon Musk, who has been dubbed the real life Tony Stark, and who is also the founder of PayPal, the founder of Tesla Motors, and the current head of SpaceX. What advice would you give to young persons who are seriously considering to be an entrepreneur but still feel a bit wobbly?
Musk: When you are trying to create a company, what you are really trying to do is organize a group of people to do something useful. And something useful is measured by other people, who are the consumers of your products and services. This may seem as an obvious thing, but often people organize groups into a company that doesn’t produce something useful. Or that other people consider useful. So, you definitely wanna listen to any positive or negative feedback you get, which is not to say that you believe it, but you need to look at it and say “maybe it is correct, maybe it is not”, weight it up, and carefully reflect on all the information you receive.
What does Musk consider as “useful” and is betting on? Does “useful” fit only with “conservative”? If you are curious and want to know more, you can check this special interview produced by CBS 60 Minutes in fall 2011.
Written by Marco Tantardini
