HOW I CARRY ON
WORDS / DAN BOVA
BEING TRULY OPEN FOR BUSINESS . Dan Bova
Editorial Director of Entrepreneur . com
Hi ! My name is Dan . I ’ m a writer / editor guy who has worked in media for ... let ’ s just say a lot of years . And over those many eons , I have learned that when striving for success in life and in business , it pays to be open to unexpected possibilities . Or , to put it more succinctly , to believe in the power of dumb luck .
My career has been a case study in this . I went to film school . Being short and Italian American , I thought I was a shoo-in to become the next Martin Scorsese . But then randomly during a lunch break on a student film shoot , someone told me about an internship they had at Spy magazine where they got to write funny stories . I never ever ever ever for one single second ever thought about writing for magazines , but that sounded fun , so I applied . I somehow got the internship ( unpaid ) which turned into a job ( paid !) and a lifelong career .
When I was laid off from Spy , I was offered to write a love quiz for a magazine for teen girls . Despite not being a teen girl and having zero “ game ” during my high school dating years , I said , “ Sure !” That love quiz led to me getting assigned more stories , which led to a job , which led to me meeting my wife , Lisa , at the job , which led to the two children currently eating everything in our home .
Besides being Martin Scorsese , I also wanted to be a writer for David Letterman . After years and years and years trying and failing to wiggle my way into “ Late Night ,” I got the opportunity to work at a new show that was launching called “ Jimmy Kimmel Live .” Only , not as a writer . As an “ associate producer .” It was in Los Angeles , so Lisa and I would have to sell our apartment in Brooklyn and move across the country in a few weeks . Lisa , I should note , was three months pregnant at the time . I ’ ll never forget at our going away party , a friend asked me , “ So what does an associate producer do ?” My honest answer : “ I don ’ t know .” But we packed up and moved out there anyway , which led to , among other things , getting to announce the birth of our son Henry on live TV .
COURTESY OF DAN BOVA
Now don ’ t get me wrong , I didn ’ t walk into these opportunities all confident with I-got-this swagger .
I was scared out of my mind , truly terrified . And also , I should definitely note that I have had my fair share of missteps — not every “ sure !” has resulted in things like meeting the love of my life , having kids and such . There have been some “ sures ” that led to soul-sucking , wake up with stomach in knots misery that I wouldn ’ t wish on anyone ( except maybe my bosses of those jobs ). And also , even at those jobs I loved , I haven ’ t always performed at “ elite ” levels . Like the time I got hopelessly lost driving to an interview with The Rock .
My point is that while you never know what is going to happen , you can guarantee that nothing is going to happen if you don ’ t leave yourself open to unexpected opportunities . You might make mistakes , you might find yourself in cruddy situations , but just when you are feeling completely lost , you ’ ll see that The Rock has pulled over on the side of the road waiting for you to catch up for the interview . He shook his head laughing , “ How did I get you for an interviewer ?” Dumb luck .
SPRING 2021 / THE COMPASS / 21