
August 26, 2020
#Plog: Experiments with Truths |A Solo Episode with James Beshara on Below the Line
Check out the Below the Line Episode Page & Show Notes
Key Takeaways
- The scientific community rewards scientists that make corrections and improve on their initial discovery. However, the law community is only focused on convincing people of a certain truth, not the actual truth.
- “Creation is like science. It is continual experiments with the truth.” – James Beshara
- “The critics apparent value is in persuasion, not in truth. They’re like the lawyer.” – James Beshara
- James has created several startups that have failed and at one point, even told his wife to not let him start any more companies
- However, after a while, he was able to reflect on the failures and realized it was a great learning experience
- “It was the most fruitful, from a personal, professional, and spiritual lens of any other time in my life” – James Beshara
- However, after a while, he was able to reflect on the failures and realized it was a great learning experience
- You’ll learn a lot more about business from founding a company than you will by getting an MBA or joining an existing company
- “I was learning on every front” – James Beshara
Intro
- Host: James Beshara (@jamesbeshara)
Finding The Truth
- What is the difference between a scientist and a lawyer?
- A scientist runs experiments to find the truth. If they’re successful, anyone can replicate their experiment to get the same result.
- A lawyer has the goal of convincing people of a certain story which may or may not be true
- The scientific community rewards scientists that make corrections and improve on their initial discovery. However, the law community is only focused on convincing people of a certain truth, not the actual truth.
- “Creation is like science. It is continual experiments with the truth.” – James Beshara
- “The critics apparent value is in persuasion, not in truth. They’re like the lawyer.” – James Beshara
- Meanwhile, a founder is like a scientist. They’re constantly seeking the core truth.
- Critics or lawyers don’t get penalized for being wrong nearly as much as scientists or founders do. Therefore, scientists and founders are more incentivized to seek the truth.
- “The critics apparent value is in persuasion, not in truth. They’re like the lawyer.” – James Beshara
Lessons From Being A Founder
- James has created several startups that have failed and at one point, even told his wife to not let him start any more companies
- However, after a while, he was able to reflect on the failures and realized it was a great learning experience
- “It was the most fruitful, from a personal, professional, and spiritual lens of any other time in my life” – James Beshara
- You’ll learn a lot more about business from founding a company than you will by getting an MBA or joining an existing company
- “I was learning on every front”
- You’ll learn a lot more about business from founding a company than you will by getting an MBA or joining an existing company
- “It was the most fruitful, from a personal, professional, and spiritual lens of any other time in my life” – James Beshara
- However, after a while, he was able to reflect on the failures and realized it was a great learning experience
- Investors love backing founders who took the risk of starting a company, even if that company failed
- People who speculate about companies don’t have any skin in the game and don’t have the same perspective as actual founders who tried to start their own company
- Warren Buffett has famously said that being a businessman has made him a better investor and being an investor has made him a better businessman
- People who speculate about companies don’t have any skin in the game and don’t have the same perspective as actual founders who tried to start their own company