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The Ups and Downs of a Budding Venture Capital Career, with Guy Turner, Episode #2
There are many people who are curious how a person actually establishes themselves in a venture capital career. It’s kind of mysterious: How do you become experienced and adept at assessing companies for the purpose of investing other people’s money in them, to the tune of millions of dollars? Guy Turner’s story is one of great success so far in the VC world - he’s only in his 30s - but it’s demonstrative of the path that is required to get into and be successful in venture capital. The story he shares on this episode - of his childhood, dreams of being a meteorologist, business education, and finally a career in venture capital that he loves - will give you a peek through the keyhole of what it takes to become successful in VC.
What’s the best way to establish a venture capital career? Work for free for 3 years.Guy Turner says that the path he had to take to get started in venture capital is pretty typical. He and his partners built their VC business for 3 years before any of them got financially reimbursed - salary or otherwise. He says that’s what it takes both to learn the role and gain the experience it takes to be a successful venture capitalist and to build a resume that investors can trust. Guy tells a number of stories about what it was like to slog it out in those early years and also turns the corner to explain how it has led to numerous rewards in the end, on this episode of The Critical Shift.
The vital nature of learning to build professional relationships with people older than you.One of the experiences from Guy Turner’s childhood that he believes set him up to have greater success in business was that he started working at an early age, and the environment he worked in (chauffeuring owners out to their boats that were anchored on the river) required him to learn how to interact with people older than he was. He says that sort of interaction has served him well in that it’s enabled him to see issues through eyes more experienced than his own and has taught him how to relate to the investors he now serves regularly in his venture capital career.
Work ethic + horsepower = power for your career.When Guy Turner was growing up there was something in him that enjoyed the work environment. He started working at age 11 and he says that early work experience enabled him to develop a strong work ethic - but that work ethic alone wasn’t enough to get him where he’s at today. He says when you first start working, a good work ethic can be a differentiator, but it has to be combined with what he calls “horsepower” - Do you “get it” and can you apply what you are learning? Those two in combination are the power behind successful careers like he’s been able to build in the venture capital world. Guy has so much great insight to share, so be sure you listen.
Why 10 years is the earliest you can know if you’re making it as a Venture Capitalist.Though many would view Guy Turner as a marked success as a venture capitalist he says that he’s barely at the point he feels comfortable with those kinds of statements. That’s because he says in VC you can’t know for certain if you’ve been successful in the investment decisions you’ve made for a minimum of 10 years. It simply takes that long to have any kind of track record to assess. In this conversation, Guy talks about how his growing up years and family life have impacted his venture capital career, how he deals with the emotional roller coaster of working in VC, and the big lessons he’s learned thus far. If you would enjoy an inside look into the world of venture capital, this conversation is for you.
Outline of This Episode- [0:22] Guy Turner: Managing Partner of Hyde Park Venture Partners.
- [4:10] How do you get into venture? Work for free for 3 years.
- [7:19] Why school is extremely self-serving and the challenge it presents.
- [16:10] Transitioning from furniture school to studies at Cornell.
- [21:48] The biggest challenge Guy has faced in his VC career thus far.
- [25:24] Dealing with the emotional toll of the boom and bust nature of venture capital.
- [28:41] The most meaningful things to Guy on a personal level about his VC work so far.
- Hyde Park Venture Partners - Guy’s Venture Capital firm
- Hyde Park Angels
- mHUB
- Cornell University
- University of Michigan
- University of Chicago Business School
- Ira Weiss
- https://launchpadlab.com/
- On Instagram
- On Twitter
- On Facebook
- On LinkedIn
View all episodes
By Tom Cullen of LaunchPad Lab
There are many people who are curious how a person actually establishes themselves in a venture capital career. It’s kind of mysterious: How do you become experienced and adept at assessing companies for the purpose of investing other people’s money in them, to the tune of millions of dollars? Guy Turner’s story is one of great success so far in the VC world - he’s only in his 30s - but it’s demonstrative of the path that is required to get into and be successful in venture capital. The story he shares on this episode - of his childhood, dreams of being a meteorologist, business education, and finally a career in venture capital that he loves - will give you a peek through the keyhole of what it takes to become successful in VC.
What’s the best way to establish a venture capital career? Work for free for 3 years.Guy Turner says that the path he had to take to get started in venture capital is pretty typical. He and his partners built their VC business for 3 years before any of them got financially reimbursed - salary or otherwise. He says that’s what it takes both to learn the role and gain the experience it takes to be a successful venture capitalist and to build a resume that investors can trust. Guy tells a number of stories about what it was like to slog it out in those early years and also turns the corner to explain how it has led to numerous rewards in the end, on this episode of The Critical Shift.
The vital nature of learning to build professional relationships with people older than you.One of the experiences from Guy Turner’s childhood that he believes set him up to have greater success in business was that he started working at an early age, and the environment he worked in (chauffeuring owners out to their boats that were anchored on the river) required him to learn how to interact with people older than he was. He says that sort of interaction has served him well in that it’s enabled him to see issues through eyes more experienced than his own and has taught him how to relate to the investors he now serves regularly in his venture capital career.
Work ethic + horsepower = power for your career.When Guy Turner was growing up there was something in him that enjoyed the work environment. He started working at age 11 and he says that early work experience enabled him to develop a strong work ethic - but that work ethic alone wasn’t enough to get him where he’s at today. He says when you first start working, a good work ethic can be a differentiator, but it has to be combined with what he calls “horsepower” - Do you “get it” and can you apply what you are learning? Those two in combination are the power behind successful careers like he’s been able to build in the venture capital world. Guy has so much great insight to share, so be sure you listen.
Why 10 years is the earliest you can know if you’re making it as a Venture Capitalist.Though many would view Guy Turner as a marked success as a venture capitalist he says that he’s barely at the point he feels comfortable with those kinds of statements. That’s because he says in VC you can’t know for certain if you’ve been successful in the investment decisions you’ve made for a minimum of 10 years. It simply takes that long to have any kind of track record to assess. In this conversation, Guy talks about how his growing up years and family life have impacted his venture capital career, how he deals with the emotional roller coaster of working in VC, and the big lessons he’s learned thus far. If you would enjoy an inside look into the world of venture capital, this conversation is for you.
Outline of This Episode- [0:22] Guy Turner: Managing Partner of Hyde Park Venture Partners.
- [4:10] How do you get into venture? Work for free for 3 years.
- [7:19] Why school is extremely self-serving and the challenge it presents.
- [16:10] Transitioning from furniture school to studies at Cornell.
- [21:48] The biggest challenge Guy has faced in his VC career thus far.
- [25:24] Dealing with the emotional toll of the boom and bust nature of venture capital.
- [28:41] The most meaningful things to Guy on a personal level about his VC work so far.
- Hyde Park Venture Partners - Guy’s Venture Capital firm
- Hyde Park Angels
- mHUB
- Cornell University
- University of Michigan
- University of Chicago Business School
- Ira Weiss
- https://launchpadlab.com/
- On Instagram
- On Twitter
- On Facebook
- On LinkedIn