Listen and learn

Listen and learn from others, and be curious about what they do. I had a good conversation with a taxi driver in Auckland in 2012. He’d learned something important from a customer, and he pumped me for knowledge too.

Listen and learn from others, as the taxi operator did

Heading back to the hotel, he asked about my businesses, videos and business models. He was genuinely curious and wanted to understand how it all fitted together.

When I began asking about him, it turned out he owned several taxis. He also said an earlier passenger had taught him about importing cars from Japan. He’d started doing that himself.

If he’d only talked about himself, he might never have had the idea. By asking and listening, he’d found an opportunity and built a new business.

He got more from the ride than the fare

I talked about online marketing, videos, memberships and adverts. Besides payment for the drive, he got lots of knowledge I normally charge to share as a consultant.

I had a fun ride, and he took away tips. It reminded me you can learn from people you meet in everyday life.

A passenger planted a thought in my mind too

When I drove a taxi in Copenhagen many years earlier, a passenger told me about computer networks being connected worldwide. It sounded exciting.

I’m not saying he gave me the whole idea for my later business. But the conversation helped create the dream of doing something with computers. So be open, ask questions and learn from people you encounter.

Mentally tired after interviewing Per

I’m sitting in the hotel room in Auckland, waiting for the food we’ve just ordered. I’ve interviewed Per, who has a computer company here. After talking intensely with someone for an hour and a half, I always feel a little mentally tired. But the taxi experience from Per’s to the hotel was so good I had to grab the camera anyway. The next day, we were flying on to Singapore.

Four taxis and 150 imported cars

The driver was a great guy. He asked curiously what I did. I explained my portals, and he almost went wild with questions: How did I make videos? What was my business model? He kept asking.

After around twenty minutes, I began asking about him too. It turned out he was actually a taxi operator with four taxis. And a year earlier, he’d driven a man who told him how to import cars from Japan.

He’d started doing it. According to him, since the previous year he’d imported 150 cars from Japan to New Zealand. I thought: Okay, there’s money in that. By listening and asking, he’d found an idea for a really good business. If he’d never shown interest in his customers, he wouldn’t have gained that insight and started.

73 New Zealand dollars and a free business conversation

When he drove me, he didn’t sit babbling about himself either. He asked about me and listened. Before I knew it, I was explaining online marketing and Google AdWords, how we made Amino videos and put them online, Plus members and selling advertising.

He didn’t just get 73 New Zealand dollars for the trip to the hotel. He also got around 25 minutes, perhaps half an hour, of my time. Back then, I normally charged DKK 3,500 an hour plus VAT for consulting. He got that conversation free. That good driver was bloody smarter than me, and I have to admit it.

I had a really fun ride. Who doesn’t like talking about themselves? He got lots of tips and tricks because he was interested. That’s an admission from me too: I sometimes talk too much, although I’m also good at listening.

Listen and learn from others by shutting up sometimes

My point is simple: Try shutting up once in a while and listening to others. When you meet people, be honestly interested in them. Ask about what they do. Then you’ll keep learning and spot opportunities you’d otherwise have missed.

I’ve experienced something similar myself. Many years ago, I drove a taxi in Copenhagen. One night, around 1991, I drove a man from Kultorvet towards Greve. On the long journey, perhaps around 45 minutes, he described his work with computer networks being connected worldwide.

As you can probably work out, he was talking about the internet. I sat there as a taxi driver thinking it sounded exciting but was probably something I’d never understand. Today, I make my living from it.

I won’t say that man gave me the idea for my business. But he helped create the dream of doing something with computers and what was then becoming the internet. That’s actually rather cool.

So be open to opportunities. Listen to others, learn from everyone you can encounter and ask lots of questions. Then you’ll become bloody knowledgeable. I discuss my own experiences of finding opportunities and becoming an entrepreneur in Iværksætter til jeg dør.

Best wishes, Martin