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24/12/07 Let 100 Flowers Bloom
DUBLIN, IRELAND - I’ve been following James commentary and I like what Niall Larkin had to say about control of Ireland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Mike is now pitching in on TechCrunch (oooh and I got a TechCrunch t-shirt for Christmas - thanks Rafe!). So here’s my gut reaction on Paul’s (hi Paul!) TechLudd post…
vs 
We’re Rain-making here, we’re trying to be rainmakers for Ireland. Chairman Mao’s words (brought to rainmaking by Guy Kawasaki) are “Let 100 Flowers Bloom”
Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend. — Mao Tse-Tung
Ireland needs to be a garden in full bloom, not just a single flowered pot plant.
Without the garden you won’t get any bees to spread your pollen. But remember - your objective within that garden is the be the most beautiful plant in it - be the one that attracts all the bees to your pollen.
Just don’t put anyone else in the shade - you’ll kill them before they seed and lose the rest of the garden, and with it the bees. They’ll go to the nicer garden, even if there are smaller flowers there.
It’ll be messy. It’ll be all over the place. Some will be good. Some won’t. Some people will fail. Some won’t.
(Image Credit: Sitting Buddha statues with flower in Bangkok, Nov ‘07, by Author).
Tags: ireland, Observations
3 Comments
Niall got it so right. You extended and explained it in a way I never could. People on both side of this debate need to understand this idea. Time to spread some links…
Have to admit to finding this post refreshing after reading the quite depressing tone of the original comment thread, we’re supposed allow for failures not kill them before they ever get going because they might not work out or someone else is already doing something similar.
23/01/08 Clunky Flow » Heath Ledger dies. World economy stumbles. Auspices are good for TechLudd
[...] Others countered that the mark of a vibrant scene is to see lots of events launched and lots of events failing, and letting the market pick and choose. [...]
