{"id":10692,"date":"2020-10-22T21:08:33","date_gmt":"2020-10-23T04:08:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=10692"},"modified":"2020-10-22T21:08:33","modified_gmt":"2020-10-23T04:08:33","slug":"a-great-place-for-entrepreneurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=10692","title":{"rendered":"A Great Place For Entrepreneurs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"John<\/a>

John Greathouse, photo by Daniel Dreifuss for Santa Barbara Independent.<\/p><\/div>\n

From the Santa Barbara tech boom\u2019s earliest successes\u00a0(Computer Motion, Expertcity, GotoMeeting) to some\u00a0of the area\u2019s most promising businesses (Invoca, HG\u00a0Insights) and early investment funds (Entrada Ventures,\u00a0Rincon Venture Partners) \u2014 not to\u00a0mention teaching at UCSB\u2019s Technology\u00a0Management Program<\/a> and writing\u00a0regularly about entrepreneurs for Forbes<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 John Greathouse<\/a> is a veteran of the\u00a0region\u2019s tech sector, serving as an executive,\u00a0board member, and investor since the\u00a0early 1990s.<\/p>\n

He recalls a time when there was a\u00a0belief that building a tech career in Santa\u00a0Barbara meant compromising on some\u00a0level. \u201cI never bought that argument, but\u00a0people made it,\u201d said Greathouse, who\u00a0recruited many people over the years,\u00a0some of whom would wonder what would happen if it didn\u2019t\u00a0work out. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to hire the person who is worried\u00a0about that, though it\u2019s a reasonable concern,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there are plenty of places in town, and once you get\u00a0a great reputation in Santa Barbara, it\u2019s actually easier. You\u00a0don\u2019t even have to put your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 out there \u2014 people are\u00a0going to hear about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The concerns evolved into finding spouses jobs, but that\u00a0stopped about six years ago. \u201cI would hear the opposite,\u201d he\u00a0said, \u201c\u2018I can\u2019t believe how much is here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He sees a lot of similarities between people who choose to\u00a0work in Kauai. \u201cFor the most part, they are there because they\u00a0want to be there, and they\u2019re making it work,\u201d he explained.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a concerted initiative to live in that place. What comes\u00a0with that is a certain joy. In Hawai\u2018i,\u00a0there\u2019s a real aloha, where people are just\u00a0happy that they\u2019re here and are able to\u00a0make it work. To some extent, we have\u00a0that in Santa Barbara.\u201d<\/p>\n

That aloha sensibility doesn\u2019t appeal to\u00a0everyone. \u201cIt\u2019s not a one-size-fits-all mentality,\u00a0and that\u2019s fine,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut\u00a0I think for the folks it does work with,\u00a0it feeds off itself, and we\u2019ve been able to\u00a0create this very collegiate, very congenial\u00a0community that\u2019s really willing to\u00a0help each other and is much less sharp elbowed\u00a0and worried about somebody\u00a0taking something from them.\u201d<\/p>\n

For him, success is all about the people. \u201cGreat people\u00a0can turn a marginal opportunity into a fantastic one,\u201d he\u00a0explained. \u201cIt\u2019s all about making sure you start out with a\u00a0great core team, and then you\u2019ll deal with the vagaries of the\u00a0market. If you have the right team, they\u2019ll be the winners.\u201d\u00a0Concluded Greathouse, \u201cI feel really bullish about Santa\u00a0Barbara long-term.\u201d \u00a0johngreathouse.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Tech<\/a>

Tech Talk Special Issue for Santa Barbara Independent, published October 1, 2020.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Tech Talk Special Issue<\/a> for the Santa Barbara Independent<\/em><\/a>, originally published on October 1, 2020.<\/p>\n

To read the issue as it appeared in print, please click here, Tech Talk 768_10_01_20<\/a><\/p>\n

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