This is a great post by Jason Calcanis, not just for the humor value.

Jason shares an exchange he had with a young VC associate:

Associate: “So your business is based on hustle?”
Me: “Isn’t every business?”
Associate: “I’ve never heard that.”
Me: “They don’t teach hustle at Harvard’s MBA program?”
Associate: “I went to Wharton.”
Me: “Do they teach it there?”
Associate: “Not really, but do you think that is what business is about?”

While we all get a good laugh at the Associate’s expense, Jason is being serious (and quite correct) when he attributes business success to hustle, passion, and resiliency. Of the three, I think the third is the rarest, and thus the most valuable.

I work with a very talented salesperson. She has spent her entire career at established companies before joining my startup. At times, she’s had a hard time adjusting to how unsettled the startup world can be. But she’s developing the resilience that will let her succeed. People who don’t have resilience can still make a lot of money in a traditional corporate role, just based on hustle and passion, but they will have a hard time with the entrepreneurial process.