Ron J. Williams uses perseverance, not lightning strikes (Video)

“Being an entrepreneur can be magical,” Ron J. Williams says, “but it ain’t magic.” Williams, the co-founder and CEO of Knodes, opened with that message and proceeded to draw the distinction between magical and magic during his talk Oct. 10 at Thinc Iowa 2012. Williams said people tend to romanticize the entrepreneurial narrative of someone…

“Being an entrepreneur can be magical,” Ron J. Williams says, “but it ain’t magic.”

Williams, the co-founder and CEO of Knodes, opened with that message and proceeded to draw the distinction between magical and magic during his talk Oct. 10 at Thinc Iowa 2012

Williams said people tend to romanticize the entrepreneurial narrative of someone scribbling an idea on a napkin and — Wham, bam! — turning that into major VC backing and a billion-dollar business. But that’s just not how it works, he said.

Drawing on his own entrepreneurial experiences and borrowing heavily from the lyrical wizardry of Jay-Z, Williams spun a far different yarn. “Your success will be determined not by lightning striking or an apple hitting your head with the one good idea that you’ll ever have,” he said, “but, in fact, by persevering.”

For Williams’ Thinc Iowa talk in its entirety, see the video above. For more from Williams at the conference, see our post: “Ron J. Williams: Entrepreneurship can be magical, but it ain’t magic”.

About Ron J. Williams 

Williams is the CEO and co-founder of Knodes. He obsesses about making human networks actually work and loves connecting people. He is a big asker of “why not.” Before co-founding SnapGoods and Knodes, Ron spent time running a successful test prep business and investing other people’s money in ed tech businesses. He is a Brooklyn native, active mentor, speaker and lover of speed. He was recently named one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company. Feel free to say hi on Twitter to get yourself invited yourself to #whiskeyfriday.

About Thinc Iowa

Thinc Iowa is now Big Des Moines, part of The Big Series, a trio of events produced by Silicon Prairie News. The Big Series in 2013 will include the inaugural Big Kansas City in March, Big Omaha in May and Big Des Moines in October. Stay tuned for announcements regarding all three.

 

Credits: Video by Event1 Video.


Thinc Iowa 2012 Video Series presented by Iowa Economic Development

Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) is dedicated to supporting innovation by connecting entrepreneurs with resources and development opportunities in Iowa. It salutes the founders of today and tomorrow; encouraging ideas that will invigorate a new economy. Please visit iowaeconomicdevelopment.com for more information on how IEDA can help your business ideas come to life.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

Get the latest news and events from Nebraska’s entrepreneurship and innovation community delivered straight to your inbox every Wednesday.