There's a common misconception that artists have a monopoly on creativity...But the very act of making waves - no matter the career - is a creative one. The Chase Jarvis Live Show is an exploration of creativity, self-discovery, entrepreneurship, hard-earned lessons, and so much more. Chase sits down with the world's top creators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders and unpacks actionable, valuable insights to help you live your dreams in career, hobby, and life.
ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
Tony was a key part of the teams that built the initial iterations of the iPod, iPhone, and much more. Now an investor and entrepreneur with a 30+ year history of founding companies and designing products that profoundly improve people’s lives, Tony’s primary focus is as Principal of Future Shape, which coaches over 200+ startups innovating game-changing technologies.
On a recent episode of the Chase Jarvis Live Show, we talked about building things- from building yourself and a strong foundation for a creative career to building teams, organizations and products.
Not An Overnight Success Story
Tony’s first job out of college was such a disaster that it killed all new development in consumer-oriented personal computers for a decade. The next products he built were commercial failures, then he started his own company – a year before the .com bubble burst.
If anyone can speak on the topic of failure, it’s Tony. While technology evolves and opens up new opportunities, success is never guaranteed. Rather than attach to the suboptimal outcomes of his early ventures with General Magic, Tony continued pulling on the thread of curiosity. Driven by a desire to build products that improve people’s lives, Tony was unaware there was a tsunami on the horizon in the form of the smartphone revolution.
With so much noise, and in unproven landscapes, remaining steadfast in your convictions is critical if you are going to maintain longevity. Tony has filed over 300 patents in his career. Were they are major successes? Certainly not, but that didn’t matter when Tony’s attention was never focused on the failures, beyond what he could learn from them.
Start by Understanding the Issue
The best products are born out of pain. While most people spend a lifetime numbing their pain, Tony discovered how powerful of a motivator pain can be. At 25, being incredibly overweight, he decided to address the issue head on, so he took up yoga and meditation, started exercising, eating more consciously, building human connection more intentionally, and more.
So here’s the reminder: “Even if you failed at it the first time. It’s just about having all those pieces aligned, making sure that at least some people on the planet understand the problem you’re trying to solve and feel the pain and go, yes, this is what I need.” Pain is a sign you’re on the right track.
The Importance of Parenting, Empowerment
At the end of our conversation Tony shared a powerful metaphor between building some of the best products in the world and parenting.
When you’re creating paradigm-shifting products, you pour your heart and soul into these things- just like you pour your heart and soul into your kids. If you’re a great parent and you’re really passionate about giving your child the best chance to thrive, you won’t stop at anything, and you wont cut corners. The analogy stands out because it’s a reminder of how important the mindset you bring to your job is.
