Last Thursday, my home had a plumbing issue. The next day, a plumber named Jack came over.

I work as a venture capitalist for a firm called GSV Ventures. I never expected to learn so much from Jack, who I later learned is in his 70s (!!), about how to do my day job better.

Don't discount someone just because they don't look the part or don't match your "communication style"

When I first saw Jack pull up with his big truck and hobble out, I was nervous. He was slow moving and hard to communicate with. I was not confident in his abilities.

Sometimes VCs pass on a company just because the presentation looks bad or the entrepreneur's communication style doesn't fit with ours. This can lead to all kinds of bias and poor decision making.

You have to look at problems from multiple angles

I brought Jack to the site of the issue and he started to troubleshoot. Was it a septic tank issue? A sewage issue? Both? Jack experimented and tested from multiple angles. And after about 15 minutes, he found the blockage!

It's so easy to miss companies that will one day transform the world. In the future, I'd better analyze markets as meticulously as Jack looked at my plumbing system.

Tenaciously use whatever you have

To clear out the blockage, Jack needed a snake, but only had a hose. He was not fazed. He poked, prodded, and sprayed water until he could clear out the blockage.

VC often won't have all the answers with supporting founders. But that doesn't mean we can't be tenacious with what we have, poking, prodding, and firing water at any obstacles that stand in the way of founders.

Sometimes you just need to go head first into the sh*t 

While Jack was working in the septic tank, the fumes were deadly. Thank goodness for my Covid mask. My jaw dropped in amazement when I saw Jack get on his knees and lean into the septic tank full of poop. Definition of courage.

The best VCs aren't afraid to get into sh*t with their founders.

Consistency pays off

Our water was flowing again and I was elated. I told Jack how impressed I was. He told me he's been doing this for 54 years.

At 70, Jack is climbing down hills, digging holes, identifying blockages, and taking care of other people's sh*t. I think he would've been a pretty damn good VC if he wanted to.

Plumbers have something to teach all of us, especially if you're a VC.

If you're an edtech entrepreneur building for skilled trades, please feel free to DM me. Let's help our man Jack get a break.