Silicon Valley
In 1938 David and Lucile Packard got married and rented the first floor of the house at 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto, CA. The little shack out back became Bill Hewlett’s home and the simple one car garage became the HP workshop. In 1989 California named the garage “the birthplace of Silicon Valley” and made it a California Historical Landmark.
Since those early days of HP Inc., an unimaginable number of ventures have been conceived, funded, and launched in Silicon Valley. It is a unique, amazing, and continuing saga. We all know the Silicon Valley start-up superstars, such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Ballmer, et al. But for all that creativity and success, we might still be calling it plain, ol’ Santa Clara Valley.
Santa Clara Valleys
The vast majority of us are not part of the Silicon Valley crowd. The world isn’t awaiting our next quarterly numbers or our pronouncements about the future of AI. We inhabit our own Santa Clara Valleys – no historical landmarks – just where we live and work. Yet, we create all kinds of serious businesses in our little valleys. We might be out of the spotlight, but we have our own impact zones.
Distant from the illustrious titans of Silicon Valley, Industry, and Finance, there are innumerable small and medium-sized business owners, founders, entrepreneurs, investors, CEOs, officers, executives, managers, team members, budding leaders, and unknown leaders – plus – all the vital volunteer leaders of organizations, PTAs, scouting units, fundraisers, playgroups, and our families. They all count too.
SpaceX and The Optometrists
To make the point about the rest of us in our own Santa Clara Valleys, I have two optometric practices in mind. They won’t be confused with SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, The Boring Company, Facebook (Meta), or Microsoft. But, I’ll bet (some venture capitalist’s money) that most of us can better identify with their mom & pop locations than the mindblowing headquarters of Apple and the others.
Why in the world would I use optometry practices for comparison?
Because two of my close friends are in that “business” and I’ve watched them close up. At first glance, you might not think of medical practices as being businesses. After all, these folks must attend professional schools, follow a code of ethics, meet continuing education requirements, etc. But they are running a business. Now, let’s talk seriously about start-ups and funding.
Optometrist #1
#1 completed his university training, worked for an optometrist in another state, and then returned to his hometown. He wanted to build and control his own practice and life. Great! How do you actually do that?
He became aware of a small, old-fashioned optometry practice in a dated shopping center run by an older optometrist who wanted to retire. Great – buy it! How do you actually do that?
Well, maybe you calculate all the numbers, create pro formas, establish classes of stock, etc. and direct your law firm to prepare the corporate documents and the initial fundraising disclosures and filings. You arrange a roadshow with the venture capital guys in San Francisco and New York, and hit the road to raise the dough. Or – you scrape together the purchase money through your meager savings, family loans, and so forth. A little uncomfortable; a lot scary.
#1 purchased and took over the optometry practice and tried to make a go of it. In due course, he realized he had to move. He found an old house well-located on a busy commercial corridor. He and his wife planned it all. He had a small contractor friend remodel that ugly duckling into practical offices, a lab, a comfortable waiting area, and a sharp showroom for the frames he sold. He finally got Planning & Zoning to approve his sign out front.
He hired more help. His business grew. He enjoyed his patients, often families spanning several generations. He worked hard. Plenty of problems to deal with over the years, but it somehow worked out. That practice provided a good living for his family and his long-time employees. A few decades sped by and he sold it.
Optometrist #2
Similar training and preparation, but there was a “terrific opportunity” to work for his father-in-law, a well-established optometrist. Great! How do you actually do that?
Anybody here ever work for their father-in-law? Any professional, family, money, health, aging, buy-out complications along the way? Just smooth sailing? Over time, #2 and his wife, the daughter (a smart professional in her own world), dealt with all of it. It was hard.
In due course, #2 was able to stressfully purchase the practice. He made it his own. Hiring, building the practice, serving families spanning several generations, succeeding. Just like #1, that practice provided a good living for his family and his long-time employees. A few decades sped by and he sold it.
Elon Musk and My Friends
So there you have it. There is the world of Silicon Valley where Elon and his pals live in the stratosphere and make all the lists of The Top whatever… Then there’s the world of Santa Clara Valleys where my optometrist friends and families hung out and toiled for a few decades. Just like the Siliconers, they had all kinds of tough business, financial, personnel, and other issues confronting them. What they didn’t have was an executive committee or an army standing behind them. They did it alone, literally. I greatly admire both of them.
I don’t ask you to compare Silicon and Santa Clara challenges faced, barriers overcome, accomplishments made, failures forgotten, successes accumulated, honors garnered, or any other measures. No – the point of this exercise is to help us recognize the tremendous effort required and the very personal satisfaction possible in our unheralded businesses.
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As I said in The Pinball Theory of Business & Life, I wish success and satisfaction to all the leaders in Silicon Valley, Santa Clara Valleys, our giant enterprises, our little companies, our PTAs… Lead On!
