I was recently speaking with an entrepreneur and the topic of givers and takers came up (as it relates to the startup world). We talked about how most people in the ecosystem fall into the camp of giver or taker.

Givers

There are many great people in the startup ecosystem who try to give to others. They can give with their time, their advice, or their support. They genuinely want to be helpful and are not looking for anything in return. At Atlanta Tech Village we call it “pay it forward.” These are good people to listen to because they have your best interest in mind and want to see you succeed.

Takers

On the opposite side, there are people who are focused on what they want and it is all about them. They may try and take your time, your ideas, or your money. There are “brokers” who try to make you pay them in exchange for capital connections. There are “advisors” who want you to pay them first before they prove any value. There are “connectors” who connect with you on LinkedIn and then instantly try and sell you something. There is definitely time for a proper exchange and partnership, but be careful of takers who lead with that from the beginning. It usually ends up as a transactional relationship; that may be fine in certain situations (i.e. sales commission deals). In the end, takers are focused on what is best for them (and not you) and will turn when there are any bumps in the road.

Another subtle trick is that givers often spend a conversation listening to try and understand how to be helpful. Takers spend most of the conversation talking about what they want to talk about that will further their objectives.