The journey of a founder

The toil of an entrepreneur begins long before an enterprise. Many sleepless nights, drafting and redrafting blueprints of a product or service later, an individual to take on the mantle of a founder. But just as it is with a sapling, one plants with great care and tends to it patiently to see it blossom in a tree someday, the founder shoulders the highest responsibility of nurturing his enterprise and lead it to success.

Undoubtedly, the entrepreneurial path is daunting, long, and arduous and a little guidance or a word of encouragement goes a long way in boosting the courage of a freshly minted founder! Here is what we make of the journey of entrepreneurship and offer as guidance to fellow and aspiring entrepreneurs:

On the job round the clock

A salaried employee works for his employer for a fixed number of hours and is compensated for his efforts. As an entrepreneur, it is easy as well as tough to be on the job 24x7, even if you are working the hardest and willingly taking a haircut on your own salary. The difference though, the relentless hard work is gratifying at the end of the day, because the long-cherished dream manifests into reality! 

Stay nimble and agile and adaptable

Change is inevitable for a new business attempting to find firm footing. Be its costs, operations, people, or processes it is important to be nimble and embrace change with agility. For instance, costs, quite naturally, are a top priority for a founder. It is advisable to keep a lion's share of it as variable costs to the extent possible and commit to fixed costs only when the business turns around.

While months or years may have gone into perfecting a business model, that on the ground realities may require changes. Thus, being on a beta mode with the business model always helps. For instance, what is savvy as far as people or tech processes are concerned may be a legacy item tomorrow. To pre-empt trends and adapt in the early years makes the foundation strong and prepared to take on challenges in the days ahead. 

Employees are the biggest assets

The founder is responsible for laying the building blocks of an enterprise, but it is the team that builds a company further and takes it from strength to strength. The right team can rise to any challenges and be unfazed in the face of barriers. The primary need for a founder is to constitute the right team. Be on the hunt for the people who genuinely believe in the enterprise, have a sense of ownership, and care for the customers. While the team takes care of the customers, the founder must nurture his team with empathy and ensure that they feel taken care of. 

Ask and you will receive

The journey of an entrepreneur can often feel lonely. With myriad problems that crop up each day, one may end up feeling rudderless. It is especially important to seek advice without any inhibition at times like these from friends, family, ex-colleagues, peers, or even competitors. Their forthcoming attitude and advice may not only help find a simple solution to a seemingly complex problem, but their timely help also serves as reassurance when one needs it the most.

Finally, and most importantly, it is of utmost importance to bear in mind that the family shares the dream and vision and even the pain of the entrepreneur. They must be treated with love, respect, and gratitude at all times. As much as your team you can count on your family at all times- as they have your back.

Overall, an entrepreneur need not be a lone wolf, all one has to look around and see and he has a whole wolf pack around him!