An occasional series in which a review of recent posts on MyVenturePad reveals the following nuggets:

Come back in 10 years
But another reason this failed is that we were ten years too early. We knew that cheap hardware and connectivity, the emerging era of web based apps, and the value of a one to one relationship with a consumer was a winning proposition. We didn't know it would take ten years to become viable. Beware of "way too early." It hurts and it keeps hurting. Which is good. Because no pain, no gain. You learn best from your biggest mistakes.
—Fred Wilson: “Only Ten Years Too Early”

No Armani, please
Amazingly, this means that not only can't the web site be too cutting edge, clever or slick, it also can't be too horrible, garish or amateurish. It's sort of like the clothes you want the person giving a eulogy to wear. No Armani, no cutoff jeans.

Next…
What actually is a social media expert anyway? Is it someone who is up to speed on all the latest Web 2.0 tools and platforms? It seems to me that this form of expertise is fleeting at best, akin to being an expert in shifting sands. Is it someone who understands that companies and the people representing them need to be honest and personable, listen politely when other people talk, try to do nice things and be helpful when they can? By that definition, weren't we all taught the basics of social media expertise when we were little kids?  Congratulations, you are an expert human being. Next...

Curly knows best
Remember the movie "City Slickers?" When asked his secret for living a successful life, Curly held up one finger. "One thing," he said. Focus on one thing and do it well. Very few people can do more than one thing exceptionally well. Sales is an incredibly sophisticated profession wherein real, long–lasting success takes years of disciplined work. Successful salespeople know that, and stay focused on the basics of their job, and the practices and principles that they know will pay off.
—Dave Kahle (in Drew McLellan post): “Characteristics of Successful Salespeople”

It’s a noisy world out there
As social media marketing is the preferred method for 2009, it has leapt out of novelty and into a noisy market. Everyone is on Twitter. Everyone is creating fan pages. Everyone has a blog. Everyone is on YouTube. Everyone! It is not easier today to get your message out than it was in 2008 when you had budget. In fact, it is harder.  Social media made it harder.

Take it from Galileo
But there is one other very powerful way to keep learning. Pay attention to the people in your life – and not just those from whom you think you can learn something. Pay attention to everybody. The other day I came across a quote from Galileo, the father of modern astronomy: “I have never met a man so ignorant that I could not learn something from him.” I love this quote because it makes a great point about the importance of lifelong learning, it also reinforces the worth of each person.

The Robert H. Smith School of business planning
Seriously, do you think for even a minute that venture capitalists don’t care about companies having strategy, and metrics, and tracking, and tasks and responsibilities, and forecasts, and budgets? Are you kidding me? They may or may not read the business plan, but the entrepreneurs they fund can’t possibly do a decent presentation without knowing their plan. What happens when they get to the first question about how much they need, and why, and what they’re going to spend it on?

Fuggetaboutit!
I remember the first hate mail I received after I published my first book. Someone wrote me that it was the worst piece of garbage that he had ever written. He told me that he literally flushed it down the toilet.  I was devastated for a few days. This letter seemed to wipe out in my email all the great feedback I had received on the book from others. With my mouth open, I offered him his money back. I never heard from him.