Little People, Big Bite

Written on 7:10 PM by O

One of my favorite scenes in the world renowned play, Les Misérables has a song that goes:

And little people know
When little people fight
We may look easy pickings
But we've got some bite
So never kick a dog
Because he's just a pup
We'll fight like twenty armies
And we won't give up
So you'd better run for cover
When the pup grows up!

This morning, after reading an article about the youngest Congressman in Washington, D.C., 27 year old Aaron Schock, I thought I’d do a quick Google search of young business owners/ entrepreneurs. The results were not shocking (because we all know how fabulous Gen Y minds are), but it was reassuring to see that the world will never lack creativity and for as long as humans exist, and we will never be done making things better and easier. Needless to say, a lot of our ideas have got quite the bite!

Gen Y’ers seem to be the generation who grew up when all pre-existing inventions were being refined to make them easier and more user-friendly. So naturally, we are inclined to making things that simplify life and just like user-friendly gadgets/ apps, we like to help people. Although there has been no better time in history for creativity to thrive, age seems to be a factor for those trying to be heard in avenues where group-think is favored and a ritual for doing things has been established. However, many workplaces are adapting to the ways young people operate and are even adopting some of our methods to succeed e.g. using facebook to get to know their clientele.

As far as innovation goes, I think the new-school is becoming more like the old-school. Long before the industrial revolution and corporations took over; society was made of entrepreneurial minds trading their talents or products for a living (from the milkman to the heir venture capitalist). Today’s intellectuals are finding ways to own their trade, much like our fore-fathers did when life was less complicated (career-wise). So Instead of getting out of college, getting a good job and climbing up the ladder at some other person’s pace, we are creating our own ladders and it seems to be working well.

What's your big idea?