Bootstrapping to $10 Million: Lawline CEO David Schnurman ( Part 7)

Sramana Mitra: I think I’ve got the story. Is there anything that I should have asked you that I did not?

David Schnurman: I think the part that we didn’t talk about is the part where I realize that the most important thing is the mindset. One of the things that has been amazing for me is recognizing a couple of important things.

The phrase, “Good things, bad things. Who knows?” If you haven’t heard, it then give me three minutes to tell you the parable that it’s from because it’s changed my life. 

Sramana Mitra: Go for it. 

David Schnurman: It’s a parable. A thousand years ago in China, a farmer got a horse from his neighbor. The next day, the horse escaped. The neighbor sees this. He runs over and says, “Oh my god! I’m so sorry that the horse escaped, but you still have to pay me.” The farmer looks at his neighbor and goes, “Good thing, bad thing. Who knows?”

A couple of days later, the horse comes back but this time it brings back three wild horses with it. The farmer and the son got all the horses in and they fixed the stable. Now, they have four horses.

The neighbor sees this and comes running over and says, “Oh my god! You are the richest guy in the area. Congratulations!” The farmer looks at him and says, “Good thing, bad thing. Who knows?”

A couple of days later, the farmer’s son is riding on one of the wild horses and he breaks his arm and leg. The neighbor comes running over and goes, “Oh my god! That’s terrible.” The farmer looks at him and says, “Good thing, bad thing. Who knows?”

Finally, a war breaks out and all young men are conscripted to fight. The neighbor’s son has to go fight in the war. As he comes running over crying to the farmer he says, “You are so lucky that your son doesn’t have to go because he is injured.” Of course, the farmer says, “Good thing, bad thing. Who knows?”

I heard this from a Buddhist monk and he said, “The moral of the story is that we tend to label a situation bad 25 times more than we label it good. As soon as you label a situation as bad, then you experience it as bad.”

One of the things that I realized early on was that I was unable to make decisions whether to hire that person or fire this person or to build this company more because I was afraid that I was making a bad decision.

Overnight, I was able to make decisions and move forward and take more actions because every time I wasn’t sure, I would just say, “Good thing, bad thing. Who knows?” I used that to keep stepping forward. For the story, it’s just all part of the journey. 

Sramana Mitra: I’m chuckling while listening to you because Donald Trump and his wife have COVID. I’m wondering if they are thinking about it, “Good thing, bad thing. Who knows?” Thank you. It was a pleasure speaking to you. 

This segment is a part in the series : Bootstrapping to $10 Million