Great counter point - people tend to discount parental influence as being "who you know" if it isn't direct nepotism. It's essentially like being born with a fantastic mentor from Day 1, and those of us fortunate to have that spirit of embracing entrepreneurial pursuits from a young age are, well, fortunate.

I've always heard the "who you know" used as a way to state that contacts are more important than skills, but as you point out, a good mentor blurs the lines between them.