Starting up

There are often comparisons made between starting a company and running (it’s a marathon not a sprint etc.). It makes sense, but as we begin to build Summit I have been doing more reflecting on my first go at entrepreneurship.

Running is a decent comparison but it fails to capture the exhilarating highs and brutal lows of the journey in quite the same fashion. Personally, after doing a bit of both, a more appropriate comparison would be Dune Bashing (aka desert driving/ off-roading). Dune Bashing is exhilarating, terrifying, relaxing and rewarding at the same time. It takes a certain amount of planning but execution on the drive is more important. Sometimes you can see what is in front of you and other times you just have to floor it and crest the dune without knowing what is on the other side.

There are some basic rules of off-roading in the desert that often apply to building a startup;

Don’t go alone.?

Even if you have years of experience off-roading, you shouldn’t go alone. There are a lot of unknowns and it can be extremely dangerous. It helps to have someone to scope out the drive, help you get unstuck, enjoy the adventure with and who else is going to get the sick shots of your car flying through the dunes!?

Likewise, when building a company finding a co-founder can make all the difference. Not an easy task, but one worth trying. It’s a lonely journey, especially as CEO and having a ‘partner in crime’ goes a long way in helping to problem solve and make the journey way more fun.

If you can’t find a co-founder (or are a solo-founder by choice) find a friend who’s also building a company, a peer group or a mentor to have regular check-ins with. A shared sense of camaraderie when things are going well or (even more importantly) badly, is a great way to persist and stay sane!

Have a start and an eventual end point but be flexible on route.

It’s always good to plan your off-roading drives. Have a rough idea of where you’re going or an area you want to explore. But if your 3.5L SWB Mitsubishi Pajero simply isn’t powerful enough to get up a dune, you’re going to have to find a way round it! Most of the exercise is navigating the unknown or problem solving as you go. Sometimes you even have to go backwards before you can go forwards! In startup land, products change, business models evolve and technology improves.

Start with a problem you want to solve and a vision for your company but remain flexible on your solution. Being open to feedback, consistent validation and continued iteration helps frame how you get there, your next steps and whether you’re on the right track.

Getting stuck is part of the fun.

As much as we don’t like to admit it, getting stuck is part of the fun of off-roading. Beginners tend to get embarrassed about getting stuck and it’s often what puts people off in the first place. Every experienced off-roader will tell you they’ve been stuck more times than they count and will be stuck again soon! The game is figuring out how to get unstuck. Unfortunately, there is not a single magic trick or startup fairy godmother that is going to tell you everything you need to do to build a big successful company. For the most part and, especially in the early stages, its up to you and your founding team to fix your problems and continue making progress. You need to enjoy constantly dealing with and solving different problems.

Sometimes you just have get out and dig

Everyone gets stuck. You can be pulled and pushed out of being stuck but at some point all you can do is get out, roll up your sleeves and dig. Building startups is really, really hard. There is no getting away from the amount of effort it takes to make something new and to make it good. Roll up your sleeves and expect to work harder than you ever have before.

After a challenging section of terrain, take a break.?

Once you’ve navigated a particularly tricky section of the desert, take a break. Park the cars, let them cool down, drink some water, and enjoy the view. Take time to re-evaluate and plan your next steps. Working really hard for long hours and long periods of time is part of the game but doing it without breaks is very dangerous. Your startup will consume you. Thinking about your company 24/7 takes a huge mental toll too. Take time off at weekends, take long weekends where possible. If you feel like you’re becoming unproductive or burnt out then you already are. Take a break, get a hike in, a beach session or a cheeky mid week round of golf in. You, your startup and your team will be better off for it.? In the end many of these lessons come from making these very same mistakes and learning from them. Both are skill sets that you can learn and improve but never perfect.?

Lastly:

If you're friends flips his FJ, check he's okay, help pull his car out, buy him a coffee and encourage him to get a Nissan Patrol.

Enjoy the drive, enjoy getting stuck, enjoy learning how to get unstuck, enjoy the view, enjoy the adventure.

Cheers, Craig.