Page 55 - Sacred Gift

Arjun’s company, Telesoft, has invested in 61 companies. Of these, 41 companies have exited (succeeded), 17 companies did not make it and 3 companies are still in his portfolio.
“Like baseball, unless you swing and miss sometimes, you will never hit the ball. And, the more times you take a swing, the more you learn what works and what doesn’t.”
As a result, Arjun’s baseball batting average, with successful exits, is about 670! A very enviable record in a very risky business.
As entrepreneur David Leppert (another profile) said: “The more uncertain the environment, the greater the need for you to listen to your intuition.”
Venture capital investing is one of the riskiest businesses there is. It is high stakes gambling at best with many, many variables, most of which cannot be assessed logically. I have not met a venture capitalist that doesn’t rely heavily on their intuitive direction.
Progressing from “raw” intuition to “learned” intuition
Is there a progression in life from a child’s “raw” intuition to rational thinking and then back to an integration of the two minds?
Arjun believes there is. As a child or young adult, one directs their choices primarily by intuition.
Then as one’s career unfolds, it is more about learning and using the rational mind.
Finally, if one continues to grow, intuition comes back as the leader while the rational mind is the “faithful servant.”
“I went from highly intuitive to highly analytical and finally to the right balance.”
“The first 25 years were driven by intuition, the next 25 years by the rational mind and now, the last 25 years are driven by integrating the two with intuition as the leader.”
Intuition: Your Sacred Gift 52