Do Good to Do Well

To be honest, I've heard various perspectives in my business on the topic of helping/networking entrepreneurs when there is no investment to be had. However, one of my DFJ alums, Matt McCall, captured my approach in his latest post: A Glass of Milk. OK, so the chain-mail story is kinda sappy, but the moral still holds and I'm not the only VC who agrees.

Whether as an investor or an entrepreneur, I've found that helping others pays dividends in the long run. Yes, there will be times when it feels like you spend time, effort or political capital and get nothing in return, but in the end it all works out. I'm not chalking it up to metaphysical payback, but I do believe there a near-term psychic rewards and long-term material rewards for helping other people succeed.

Whether it's the golden rule of "Treating others as you would like to be treated" or my current favorite "Do Good to Do Well", try to create as many successes as you can around you and odds are you will reap rewards from some of them. You'll also make a lot of friends along the way...