Bob Parsons has long appeared to have a bring-it-on approach to criticism. Whether it's a publicity stunt or racy commercial, the founder of Go Daddy makes no apologies for pushing the envelope in business. But when a video he posted of himself killing an elephant in Africa recently went viral, it primed a vitriolic social media backlash. PETA called for a boycott of his domain-hosting company and he fired back on Twitter.
Parsons, 60, told CBS News he believed people's "hearts were in the right place" in criticizing him, but they misunderstood his intention, which was to help starving people and stop elephants from destroying crops in Africa.
Several comments posted to the video questioned why the cameras zoomed in on villagers wearing orange Go Daddy hats. But the video wasn't part of a company marketing initiative, a company spokeswoman says, adding that it was "something Bob, the individual, edited and posted." After complaints, the close-ups of the Go Daddy hats and still photos of Parsons posing with the dead elephant were removed.
Parsons, who founded the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company in 1998 and has since grown it to $1 billion in annual sales, had spoken with Entrepreneur.com just prior to the media storm. As the controversy unfolded, he didn't respond to requests for comment. Still, the interview sheds light on the man who's unafraid to court controversy and unapologetic about his approach to life and business. Edited excerpts follow.
Renegade or realist: If a renegade is somebody who does things that are different and not necessarily politically correct, I'm a renegade. But when managing my business, I'm not a renegade at all. Nobody's either a 100% good person or 100% bad person. Everybody is some of both.
Heroes: Generals Ulysses Grant and William Sherman won the Civil War for the U.S. Alexander the Great conquered the world. John D. Rockefeller conquered business. Julius Caesar was a brilliant leader. All of them were innovative, disciplined and focused on doing the job at hand.
His teen years: I was a terrible student. I failed fifth grade, and I wasn't going to graduate high school until I showed the teachers my orders to go into the Marine Corps. I was most certainly going to be a combat troop in Vietnam, where hundreds were killed every week, so they passed me.
Serving in Vietnam: I joined when I was 17 and I was out when I was 19. The guy that walked out was completely different from the one that went in. In the military, when you make a commitment to somebody, especially standing next to them in combat, and you say you're going to be there -- you're there, hell or high water. Becoming reliable and responsible, it all hails back to the military. After I got out, I went to college and graduated magna cum laude because I was a different guy. And what I accomplished since then I would not have done, had I not had that military experience.
Expectations vs. ambition: When people with big expectations run into the problems that are inevitable in life, they become disappointed and give up. You can't disappoint a person with no expectations. If I had big expectations, I'd have flushed out early. What I like better is ambition -- ambition to deal with whatever comes your way, overcome it and get better. Persistence and ambition is what you'll find in every successful entrepreneur.
On imperfection: Business is imperfect. We're imperfect humans providing a service to other imperfect humans. No matter the business, there will always be things that could be made better. I like when people see something is wrong, they step up to see that it gets corrected.
Keeping life in perspective: We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time. Life goes by in a finger-snap. Don't get stressed out over anything, just deal with it. That's another lesson I learned in the military in Vietnam. When you've got people getting hurt and dying around you, that's a difficult situation. The stuff we deal with? That's a walk in the park.
On taking risks: You'll see people who, as soon as what they've done is worth anything, they cash out. I kept all my chips on the table. By giving Go Daddy everything it needs and reinvesting profits, right now in our industry we're the tall hog in the trough. That's how you do that.
Why mistakes are important: When I started Go Daddy, I tried many things -- like building networks and selling education -- and none of it panned out. I lost millions of dollars the first couple of years. I made a lot of wrong turns, but that's the process of being successful in business. You got to go down a lot of wrong roads to find the right one.
Memorable business advice: What I learned from Rockefeller that's off-the-hook important is: You need to know exactly where you stand in a business at all times. Measure everything, because everything that is measured and watched improves.
Not-so-secret quirk: I'm seldom, if ever, on time. Around here, they call it 'Bob Time.' I always got a check mark in the tardy column.
Favorite book: Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.
On motivation: I've never worked to make money. I understand we've got to eat and all that, but I never said I want to be a multimillionaire or a billionaire. To me, that's of no significance. I work to have the accomplishment.
I'm just a regular guy… who figured out how to run a business. I've made a few bucks, but that doesn't make me anybody special. Go Daddy has sales in excess of a billion dollars, but compared to the likes of Google, Amazon and Apple, that's nothing. We're pretty insignificant.
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Comments:
Godaddy always use controversial adds for publicity stunts.
John, Not sure that your 'blind squirrel finding a nut' thought process really holds up.. If you do a little research on Parsons, you find that he sold a prior company (Parsons Technology) to Inuit in 1994 for $64m. So, at least in my humble opinion, that is one 'blind squirrel' with pretty good vision (and execution). Just saying ;)
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As they say, " a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile." Though successful, I don't find Mr. Parsons particularly interesting. True executives and entrepreneurs have some degree of humility which I fail to find. Mr. Parsons is living the "Snottsdale" lifestyle (hence the ear ring, bling and "Cesar" haircut from a man old enough to be my father). It is constantly about gags and promotions (see "Elephant" and his "Go-Daddy Girls" as an example). He builds nothing. He creates nothing. This is not the "innovation" of which he professes admiration, but rather, Mr. Parsons sells web domains and associated products that can be had from a variety of sources. Hardly novel really. A person who seized an opportunity, that is admirable, as there is always risk being an entrepreneur. Mr. Parsons' (see "Squirrel") "product" (see "Nut") is that he found a way to sell domains for less and apparently make a bit of money doing it. Something about a fool and his money comes to mind. Branson, Buffett, Jobs, Gates....these men should be admired and looked upon for guidance as they have reached another level of achievement and if you will, Zen, for obvious reasons. Ohmmmmmmm JTC
that is a great motivational article! i like this quote ' I've never worked to make money. I understand we've got to eat and all that, but I never said I want to be a multimillionaire or a billionaire. To me, that's of no significance. I work to have the accomplishment.'
That is quite an inspirational article, without perhaps the elephant killing part, regardless if it is legal or not. How to suceed with "Persistence and Ambition" is the most important learning point here. Myrian Seiss http://www.IntercambioCultural.com.br
I have been using Godaddy for the past 5 years now, pleased with there services.
I've found that a number of entrepreneurs can relate to Bob's comment, "I've never worked to make money....I work to have the accomplishment." Those that start their own businesses for the money tend to quickly burn out, since the money isn't there right away. Those that last are those who are fueled by a sense of passion and greater purpose. The money is a great "indicator" to everyone else that they've been successful in their endeavors; to the entrepreneur, it's merely a nice bonus to have been able to do work they loved AND get paid for it! Lisa www.StartYourOwnSmallBiz.com
Hi i am in the country where he killed the elephant...killing elephants or hunting is permitted so long he is licensed and he did have a license. We do kill elephants to control the herd because they breed, and the herd can get out of control killing humans and crops that are the mainstay of the people here. What this guy did, is absolutely normal here. We welcome him back next year. Addy, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Oh my god. Will you anti-hunting hippies stop? This is an article about how he started and runs his business. Please comment on THE ARTICLE. The perfectly-legal elephant hunt that you disagree with, only because it's the "in" thing to do right now (like voting for Obama was), doesn't mean that you need to comment on it every time you see Bob Parson's name printed.
He's too down-to-earth to care about a PR team that has to decide what he can and cannot do. He's a normal guy; he just has a successful business.
He is definitely compensating for a certain physical inadequacy.
This a is a case of some fool who thinks that because he is rich he has the right to kill anything he wants. There are ways of moving the elephant away that would not involve killing an elephant, that is one of the most intelligent of animals.Go Daddy, Go ^+%*@ yourself. If making big bucks is a sign of intelligence, than Donald Trump is one of the smartest guys around. I served in Korea (Three battle stars) and when I got out of the service I became a Jazz musician. No one becomes a Jazz musician for the money.They do it because it is something they love. I would bet that I have a happier life than this fool who talks about nothing but himself.
It's easy for people to sit in front of their computers with full stomaches to say this isn't right. I don't feel I'm in a position to tell someone they have to just suck-it up and watch their children and loved one die of starvation because a bunch folks on the other side of the planet like elephants more than them. Millions of animals are killed each year to make sure our tables and bellies are full - and I'm just talking about grains, nuts, fruit and vegetables. In reality elephants are going to be killed anyway and the boost to the local economy because some rich guy is willing to pay to shoot them probably prevents them from all being totally exterminated. He probably should have waited for the jet-lag to wear-off before posting this on the web - from a business perspective but I'm sure he realizes that now ;).
Granted that he is nice guy but killing elephant for nothing doesn't justify anything.. Very sad.
As someone who specializes in crisis communications, it's obvious that Bob's got himself a tempest here. His interview with CNN's Piers Morgan was a classic example of getting into the public dunk tank because he wasn't prepped with clear and well-thought out talking points. While this kind of hunting isn't illegal it just doesn't play well, and that's the bottom line. He could have anticipated this with his PR and communications team, if he has one. Hey Bob - if you want no BS PR, I'm available!
I've had the pleasure to visit with Bob on a few occasions and he's always been real friendly. He's great to his employees and he lives his life to the fullest. Anytime I've asked him for advice he's given me to the point answers. The last time I was in the same room with him as I was leaving he made a point to acknowledge me and say thanks for coming. He didn't have to do that, but that's the kind of guy he is. Why not do some more investigating and talk about how his employees in Arizona like working for him. What about all the charitable causes that he gives too and is passionate about? The people that criticize him might also be benefiting from his generosity.