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Jack Dorsey Built Square by Accident. A Glassblower Showed Him the Way.

By Jack Dorsey · Founder Stories · 1 min read

Dorsey's co-founder Jim called him — he'd just lost a $2,000 glass sale because he couldn't accept a credit card. He was talking on his iPhone while losing the deal. A general purpose computer in his hand, and he couldn't take a payment.

Key Points

The strongest thing you can cultivate as an entrepreneur is recognizing fortunate situations when they occur
Jim lost a $2,000 sale because he couldn't take a card — while talking on his iPhone
In one month they had a device that plugged into the audio jack and could swipe a card

One of the strongest things you can cultivate as an entrepreneur is not relying on luck, but cultivating an ability to recognize fortunate situations when they're occurring.

Recognizing Fortunate Situations

Dorsey: One of the strongest things you can cultivate as an entrepreneur is not relying on luck, but cultivating an ability to recognize fortunate situations when they're occurring.

Odeo was a very fortunate situation. I could have taken the idea for Twitter, not told it to Ev, not told it to Biz, and tried to start my own company. But the fortunate situation was that I was working with some really amazing people. Of course it makes sense to start there.

Don't rely on luck. Cultivate the ability to recognize fortunate situations when they're occurring.

The Lost Glass Sale

Dorsey: The fortunate situation for Square was that my co-founder Jim contacted me. I've known him since I was 15 — he was my boss when I was 15. He said — I just lost a glass sale. He's an artist, he sells glass. He lost the sale because he couldn't accept a credit card.

Here he was talking on his iPhone — a general purpose computer — and he couldn't accept $2,000 from someone who wanted to pay him. Why is that? We decided to answer that question.

He was talking on his iPhone and couldn't accept $2,000. A general purpose computer in his hand. Why is that?

One Month to a Prototype

Dorsey: I started writing server code. We hired a guy to write iPhone code. Jim built the hardware. In a month we had a device that plugged into the audio jack of your iPhone and could swipe a card and take a payment.

I showed it to investors — they were all amazed it could even work. We decided to really focus on it and make it a company.

In a month we had a device that plugged into the audio jack and could swipe a card and take a payment.

Get It Out of Your Head

Dorsey: The hardest thing about all this is to get started. As soon as you have it, get it out of your head. Get it on paper. Show someone. Even code a little bit.

There's two outcomes and they're both good — you either dedicate more resources, or you put it on the shelf for later. That first idea for Twitter — I put it on the shelf in 2000. Reused it in 2006. And now it's worked out. But too many people just get stuck. When it's stuck in your head, you're always making excuses for why it doesn't exist.

That first idea for Twitter — I put it on the shelf in 2000. Reused it in 2006. And now it's worked out.