When I tell people I want to change the world, they say “That’s great, but how?” Here’s the answer: Product Design. I’ll admit, it’s a bit of a stretch. Here’s how I think about it. My goal is to change the world by filling it with libertarians. One approach is to spend hours upon hours debating the same points with a handful of people. This approach is severely limited by how receptive the audience is, as well as limited in scope. I can only talk to a few people at once. Instead of wasting my time talking, my alternative approach is to give them the tools to find out for themselves. I want to show them. Hopefully they will come to the same conclusion I do. If not, oh well. I won’t feel like my time was wasted. The best case scenario is that they discover an even better answer with their new tools. I couldn’t be happier if that happened.
What tools am I talking about? When people experience something first hand, they tend to take that evidence to shape their beliefs. Not always, but usually. The tool I am talking about is starting a business. Anyone who starts a business needs to understand supply and demand. They need to understand how regulations affect small business. Their knowledge of arcane Byzantine tax code grows exponentially. Minimum wage becomes a topic of research for them. Suddenly, these people who argued for or against abstract ideas such as “regulation” becomes very tangible and hits home. On top of that, the conversations that small business owners have with their friends and family about government, becomes very high stakes. Mentioning “raising taxes on job creators” can be a serious slap in the face at Thanksgiving Dinner.
This is why I love doing product design. I lower the barrier to entry for these laypeople to start their own business. We’re cheaper and quicker than most other engineering firms because we have low overhead. We bring engineering to the masses at an affordable rate. More people than ever can now be entrepreneurs because of us. I’m not limited to the number of people I know, or the number of arguments that I’ve memorized. The best strategy for getting people to adopt your values, is to line up your goals. I’ve done just that, and I plan to continue for a very long time.