Ten Things I Wish I Had Known

A presentation I gave to a group of students at LSMSA, my alma mater, on the ten things I wish someone had told me while I was still in high school.

Transcript

2. First, a bit about me • LSMSA class of 2008 • LSU class of 2013 (major: computer engineering; minor: mathematics) • Portfolio entrepreneur • Cofounder + CEO, NewAperio
3. About my company • Web + mobile engineering firm • Started in Prudhomme with Evan Cordell, class of 2009 • Officially incorporated in January 2010
4. My team • Logan Leger, Founder + CEO • Evan Cordell, Founder + CTO • Christian Bankester, Senior Developer • April Frank, Executive Assistant • Interns: Beth Findley, Cade Thomasson, Jonathan Hooper
5. LSMSA produces quality
6. My team • Logan Leger, Founder + CEO • Evan Cordell, Founder + CTO • Christian Bankester, Senior Developer • April Frank, Executive Assistant • Interns: Beth Findley, Cade Thomasson, Jonathan Hooper
7. What’s in a name? These traits are important to us so we want to be clear in communicating them to everyone we come in contact with.
8. Recent press We like when people talk about us.
9. 10.Mistakes and Lessons I wish I had learned earlier.* * (so you can be better than me)
10. 1.Trying to do too much.
11. Mind Like Water In karate there is an image that’s used to define the position of perfect readiness: “mind like water.” Imagine throwing a pebble into a still pond. How does the water respond? The answer is, totally appropriately to the force and mass of the input; then it returns to calm. It doesn’t overreact or underreact. — David Allen
12. Focus is Important • Don’t try to do everything • You can’t be all things to all people • Choose your responsibilities and obligations wisely • Key to success
13. What happens when you’re not focused? • You hurt others (late work, poor quality) • You hurt your reputation • You hurt your body (stress, lack of sleep, unhealthy lifestyle)
14. Aside: Your reputation is important. If you diminish your name, you can never get that back.
15. Don’t waste your time. You only have so much. Find what’s important and focus on it.
16. Example: Hiring an Executive Assistant • Programming • Sales • Setting strategy • Business administration • Organization • Internal communication • Scheduling • Emails • Bookkeeping
17. 2.Find what you love.
18. Love what you do; do what you love. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. — Steve Jobs
19. Be passionate. It’s a key to success, but the only way to ensure that is to love what you do.
20. Just do it. Get real-world experience early — internships are great. Either it’ll confirm what you want or show you a new direction.
21. 3.Things will work out.
22. Life goes on. In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. — Robert Frost
23. You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. — Steve Jobs
24. Turn disappointment into opportunity.
25. Disappointment LSU
26. Opportunity Starting a company
27. Disappointment Not graduating on time
28. Opportunity More focus on my company
29. Destiny and Fate Whatever happens, the natural gravity of your life will bring you down to where you’re supposed to be. Don’t fight it. Accept it. You’ll be much happier.
30. 4.Never sacrifice your ethics.
31. What’s the one thing you always have control of?
32. Your decision So make one you can believe in.
33. Aside: Always do something. In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing and the worst thing you can do is nothing. — Theodore Roosevelt
34. Your sins will find you out. Always act as if someone is watching, because eventually it’ll all come out.
35. 5.Be kind.
36. All I ask is one thing, and I'm asking this particularly of young people that watch: Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism; for the record it's my least favorite quality. It doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen — Conan O’Brien
37. You open yourself to a lot by being kind.
38. Example: United Way We did an app for the United Way’s Jambalaya Jam (their biggest fundraiser). It was a hit. It’s opened a lot of doors for us.
39. 6.Sweat the small stuff.
40. Quality matters Always do your best in everything, no matter what. It reflects on your reputation and that’s the most important asset you have.
41. All of our clients come to us from referrals. Our work is great and people love us for it. Our attention to detail is second to none.
42. Confidence is a key to success. Confidence comes from knowing you’re doing quality work.
43. Practice. Seriously. No one ever got good at anything by not practicing.
44. Dirty secret: there are no “naturals”.
45. 7.Failure is inescapable.
46. It’s a part of humanity.
47. Don’t let the fear take control of you.
48. Have the courage to act in light of failure.
49. Always have a takeaway. You can turn failure into success by having takeaways. Learn. Grow. Be better.
50. Tool for success: remember we all die. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. — Steve Jobs
51. 8.Live as if today is your last.
52. When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. — Steve Jobs
53. Macro, not micro Are you doing what you want to do in life, what you love, what you should be doing?
54. 9.Never grow up.
55. Let things amaze you.
56. Be open to new ideas.
57. Question everything.
58. 10.Stay hungry. Stay foolish.
59. Never stop learning. Keep seeking knowledge. Keep improving yourself. Learn new things. Make new friends. Have new experiences.
60. Be foolish. Follow your heart. Be courageous. Be confident. Be audacious.
61. One More Thing: I’m hiring.
62. Thank you logan@newaperio.com 225-328-7022
63. Q / A logan@newaperio.com 225-328-7022