Five Entrepreneurial Lessons Learned from Cycling.

Those extra inches on the belly had started bothering. Having led a hurry-worry sedentary entrepreneurial life for over a decade, I finally decided to lead an active & healthy lifestyle. With inspiration from family and friends, I started cycling my way to office and back home.

After my body stopped revolting against this unusual and unwelcome routine, I started enjoying every ride with ...

Slowly passing views of lush green lawns. Color riots of blossomed flowers. Open garages offering a glimpse of past and planned DIYs. Strangers walking and jogging. Children playing in their own world. Friendly bark from the dog. Silhouettes of tall trees, shades from the broad ones. Breeze gently massaging your skin. Lungs breathing new life with deep breaths of clean air. Mind refreshing without emails, calls, or messages. Body burning those avoidable calories. Thoughts reflecting.

Cycling was undoubtedly a great calmer.

Just when I had started to enjoy ...

A truck zooms past dangerously close - near-death experience. Traffic light turns red just when I had good momentum. Unexpected road closures. Scattered screws, nails, broken glass showed up on the road from nowhere. Unforgiving headwinds forcefully reduced speed. Unobliging vehicular traffic denied a lane change. Backpack felt heavier than yesterday. Shoelaces got entangled in the pedal. Throat yelled for water and muscles cried in pain.

Cycling turned into a great teacher.

As I reflect, it turns out that every ride was a learning experience laden with fundamental lessons on Entrepreneurship. Uniquely blended, uniquely delivered.

1. Check Readiness First.

Unless in a tournament, people generally cycle to lose those extra inches, follow an active lifestyle, generally for pleasure, some of these, or all of these. Regardless of the motive, every rider starts off by checking readiness. Keeping things clean, lean, and oiled takes the rider a long way. Entrepreneurship isn't different.

• Ability To Balance All Alone. Very obvious, very fundamental, and the very first checkpoint. Given the nature of entrepreneurial ventures, failures are inevitable. Regardless of the size and stage, the ability to strike a resilient balance when failures hit is the fundamental ability of an entrepreneur. Drop the idea of entrepreneurship now, if striking this balance seems challenging. Or, invite a partner/co-founder on-board because it's going to be one long hell-of-a-ride. This old African Proverb sums it up well - "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
• Sturdy Yet Light-weight By Design. As much as they want to do things on their own, Entrepreneurs realize the need of a team to execute their vision. Whether bootstrapped, seeking funding, or already funded, no amount of manpower is enough. Hence, a "light-weight" organization by-design goes a long way in fulfilling entrepreneurial dreams. And it begins with the Entrepreneur itself - a high-performing multi-tasker who fills the gaps quickly, effectively, and with a smile. All others in the team should be as close to your clone as its practically possible. A low monthly burn-rate proves to be a win-win-win all the way!
• Lubrication With Right (Tire) Pressure. Hiring people and hoping that it will all work out isn't a strategy. In fact, hope is not a strategy. Setting goals and making people accountable under the right amount of pressure is. Putting simple, effective, and repeatable processes in place for mundane repetitive tasks is another. Goals, accountability, and processes reduce internal friction and give you the bandwidth to think and act on your vision instead of wasting time and energy on mundane matters.
• Keep It Sparkling Clean. Regardless of what you ride or drive, a sparkling clean and well-maintained machine always draws positive attention from onlookers. Entrepreneurs should keep their organization brutally clean from nay-sayers, negative-thinkers, and low-performers. By keeping it clean, you will create an organizational culture of no-nonsense high-performing positive-attitude. Such a culture becomes apparent to outsiders like those Customers, whom you couldn't even dream of approaching. Like the Talent, whom you couldn't afford.

2. Always Expect Headwinds.

Headwinds are every cyclist's only companion on those lonely rides. In an entrepreneurial ride, headwinds are all those issues and challenges you didn't envisage, on which you have no control, you cannot avoid them in the given situation, and all your strategies or plans seem to fail. Each day of entrepreneurial life begins with facing these headwinds - a.k.a. "unknown unknowns".

• Prepare A Backup Plan. This is cliched but as Entrepreneurs, we all know that things don't always work the way we want. It's only smart to be prepared with a backup plan. The "Plan-B" that will bail you out from seemingly unlikely repeated failures. From the complexity of closing down to the simplicity of finding a job, whatever it is, work it out well and keep it ready in your subconscious mind. I wish you don't ever need it just as I hope that you have tailwinds forever. But then again, hope is not a strategy!
• Safety First. Remember the truck that zoomed past close by? Entrepreneurial journeys are anything but safe. Your entrepreneurial venture needs a safety net too just like the cyclists who wear protective gear and display bright lights. Think of ways and means of protecting your dream, your goals, your next-big-thing. For e.g., copyrighting, patenting, strict non-disclosures, non-competes, flying below the radar, and many more, are all different ways of protecting yourself and your hard work. Prepare a well-thought-out practical plan before you begin and action it soon after.
• It's OK To Be Slow, Sometimes. Cyclists conserve energy by going slow when they experience strong headwinds. Similarly, avoid burning your energy (read: cash) when you're unable to bring about desired outcomes. Reduce efforts to reduce speed to just about that much that you don't lose your balance. In these testing times ask yourself - "Will I be prepared when these headwinds ease, or change direction?" If you spend all your energy fighting the headwinds, you won't have any left when you need it the most.

3. Compete With Yourself.

Unless in a tournament, Cyclists neither compete with each other nor with the vehicles passing by. Each of them rides at its own pace and comfort. Think hard, think again, and reflect if you believe you've tons of competition threatening your entrepreneurial venture. After eliminating all those perceived competitors, you will be left with only one - your own self!

• Solve Problems. One At A Time. The fundamental difference between a "business" and an "entrepreneurial venture" is that while "business" supplies to the demand, the "entrepreneurial venture" solves one unique problem or solves a common problem in a unique way. Whatever it be, avoid solving every problem in the world because "silver bullet" is only a metaphor and the world is smarter than you think. While your vision is grand, success is possible if your next-big-thing solves that one problem like no one else. Be a part of the solution instead of solving everything which is essentially the problem. Steve Jobs had summed this up the best - "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."
• Pick Your Fights. All Aren't Worth Your Time. Remember the unobliging traffic denying a lane change? Those screws, nails, broken glass showing up on the road from nowhere? All entrepreneurial journeys face such situations that instigate a fight. Some of these are engineered, like an intentional price-war, offering free-bees by a perceived competitor, or poaching of key employees. Some are situational, like the unexpected launch of a similar product, or unanticipated but applicable regulations. And some are a combination of these. Whatever be the fight about, the choices you make in these situations will decidedly steer your venture - for good, or for bad. Choose wisely.
• Control Momentum. Speed Kills. Entrepreneurs keep the foreseeable future on their radar instead of worrying about what lies 10-years ahead. If you're ahead of your time, Customers will remain unconvinced. If you're late, you may not find any takers. Controlling the momentum of your entrepreneurial venture ensures that you reach just-in-time when your potentials are ready to accept you. What happens when you speed through on a down-hill slope and the traffic light at the base turns red? You'll come to a screeching halt if you've good brakes, at best. At worst, disaster.

4. Reaching Is Winning.

Every athlete aims to reach the finish line - first or last, running or crawling. Cycling or Entrepreneurship are no exceptions. Realizing the dream into a working product that's used by at least one paying customer is equal to winning. First or last doesn't matter after a long, eventful, and painful journey.

• Plan This Well. There's No Second Chance. Entrepreneurial ventures are an orchestra of your heart (Dreams), mind (Plans & Words), and body (Actions). Slightest lack of coordination between any of these results in a cacophony. In entrepreneurial terms - it will force you to stop, push you tumbling down, or take you to a place you never wanted to go. Dreaming and thinking big is the quintessential quality of an entrepreneur. And so is the ability to break the vision down into smaller, achievable & actionable plans, communicating it to your team, and making sure that actions are taken. This is the only mantra that will help you inch forward. A second chance is only a myth.
• Keep Looking For Options. Always. Entrepreneurs exist because they want to bring an end to a problem using their unique solutions. Since the solution is unique, the path will be less-traveled or never-traveled compelling the Entrepreneur to expect the "known unknowns" road-blocks. Think ahead to find alternative approaches and keep them ready in your back-pocket when your team reports such show-stoppers. Goal is to win, and to win you've to reach - my way, your way, this way, that way, or the highway! The age-old proverb sums it up - "Where there's a will, there's a way!"
• Prepare, Prepare, Prepare. Well Begun Is Half Done. Just like a cyclist does a bit of warm-up, drinks a glass of water, wears protective gear, and tightens those shoe-laces, Entrepreneurs also prepare themselves for the journey. Make a proof-of-concept, apply it to a real-world scenario, and compare outcomes with desired results. Even if theoretically, subject your idea to different real-world scenarios and tighten any loose-ends. Check your reserves and practically evaluate if your venture can survive without income till you get your first paying Customer. For once and for the last time, be conservative. Prepare well and brace for the unexpected!

5. Enjoy The Journey.

You might reach the destination only if you embark on the journey in the first place. But you will reach the destination if you enjoy the ups and downs of the journey you've undertaken. Just like an ardent cyclist and with unmatched enthusiasm, the latter is what Entrepreneurs choose.

• Like Seasons, Learn To Change. In addition to the several hats that Entrepreneurs wear, an important one that increases the probability of success is the ability to change - quickly. If market conditions and business scenarios change, so should your product, plan, and strategies to remain relevant. Avoid being emotional about "your" ways or else risk obsolescence even before it all begins to blossom. Open up your mind to stand corrected. Embrace ways that make more sense, even if they're not yours.
• Smile & Wave Along The Way. Partners Were Strangers Once. Entrepreneurs go out of the way to meet many many strangers every day. Because we all know that our Customers, Partners, and Talent are all hidden away in these strangers. Meet them, smile at them, greet them, talk to them. It doesn't matter whether you meet your Customer, Partner, or Talent in the first meet, because each friend you make, has a network too! The positive impression you leave will compel this new friend to talk about you. Free marketing!
• Higher The Risk, Higher The Reward. Key characteristic of any Entrepreneur is taking and managing risks. Start off by taking those risks that you are capable of managing, should you fail in your attempt. If you get rewarded, enjoy it, increase your risk appetite, and take the next one. Stop this cycle on the day your venture has transformed itself into a "business" or on the day you decide to hang up your boots.

In Conclusion

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint-hearted. It takes an awful lot more than just an idea to be successful in the crowded world of Entrepreneurs. But then, there are so many problems in this world waiting for an Entrepreneur to solve. Once an Entrepreneur, always an Entrepreneur. Tread with caution: Entrepreneurship is addictive!

As I continue to ride my mean machine, I continue to learn. And as I learn, I'll continue to share. Get-set-go!

About me

Deepak Jain is a serial entrepreneur in the fields of Technology and Films.

As the CEO & Co-founder of GreenTech (www.greentechict.com), he helps Businesses & Governments in solving complex business challenges with speed by leveraging GreenTech's low-code application development and digital transformation platform.

As the Director & Co-founder of the Children's International Film Festival (CIFF), along with his wife, he helps young & aspiring filmmakers in Schools & Universities in learning the craft of filmmaking, creating their masterpieces, and bringing them to the big screen.

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