Startup Glamour, Glory, Drama, Rollercoaster, and All at Ones

I wanted to share some thoughts about the world of startups – something that often seems glamorous from the outside - filled with big money, great lifestyles, flashy events, world-changing work, and other startup fairy tales. However, the reality is far from the fairy tale. Running a startup is no walk in the park. It’s hard work that requires a level of dedication that might surprise you. You need to understand this before you jump into a startup or learn fast on the job if you want to stay the course.

As an employee in a corporation, you might hate having to listen to your boss. And therefore, someday you might decide to start a company so you can do whatever you like. But guess what? As an entrepreneur the list of people you must listen to is much longer – you listen to your investors, your board, your team members, your customers, your business partners, your suppliers, the regulators. Why? Because a good advice and brilliant ideas could come from anywhere, and you would do well to not bask in the glory of your own intellectual arrogance while taking important decisions.

If you are joining a startup because you are tired of working from nine to five at your corporate job, also you’d better think twice. Startups have a lot to achieve in a short time. Late nights, working on Saturdays and Sundays, Slack messages at odd hours – all of these are common at high-performing startups. If you’re not up for it, then this is probably not your cup of tea.

It’s very stressful. The competition, the changing environment, blue ocean of new markets, ?the projects that are delayed, the negotiations with a strategic partner that failed, the team member who (how come?) got sick, your key employee disappearing, running out of money, dozens of things you must do immediately to keep on the course.

It is a journey full of emotional ups and downs. Challenge after challenge. A real rollercoaster. Permanent stress, being overworked, fear of failure, loneliness, emotional breakdowns, the weight of the world riding on your shoulders. It’s all part of the game.

As a startup hero you are the eyes and ears, the blood and guts of the company. You are the chief and servant. You are the dreamer and maker. Your are the sales hunter and farmer. You are on stage. You give interviews. You pay the bills. You clean the house. You speak with the regulators. You negotiate contracts. You onboard people. You write the LinkedIn posts. It goes on and on, on and on. You are wearing many hats. And you always expect even more from yourself. It’s natural for entrepreneurs.

It is also common that with all the challenges you face, there is a kind of loneliness and isolation that is attached to it that you will eventually feel. This one can be a real killer. Startup heroes can break down here because they are so passionate, and they feel like there is nobody like them. They feel like the world is against them. They think the team isn’t giving as much effort as he is. Customers just do not recognize the great value of your products. Any of these rings a bell with you??

That’s why while running a startup you need to have your strong anchors to survive. The anchor should be someone or something that keeps you grounded. It will help you calm down, regroup, have time to think before coming back to conquering the world again. A daily exercises and routine of how you start the day can be an anchor. You family can be your anchor as well. Never forget that your family is more important than anything else, even if you think that you love your company just as much.

Also there is a myth that running a startup is only for the lone wolves. However, having the right people around is most critical. You need a team that stands close together comprised of people that you can count on. The team mates that are ready to go through a wall for you. You must accept that you can’t make all decisions on your own. You must rely on other people sometimes. Empower people. Lower your pride, understand your weaknesses, and ask questions. It’ll give you an outlet for your frustrations and it can give you solutions that you normally won’t see. But of course, people don’t buy without a strong “why”, therefore you must show them clear vision, and explain how everyone contributes to it.

Entrepreneurship is a challenging but rewarding pursuit that requires a combination of skills, mindset, and resources. So, what are the certain things that you can count on this journey? ?Wearing many hats, making mistakes, learning, having setbacks you’ll bounce from, seeking help, delegating, developing self-belief and confidence in your abilities, and…in the end massive satisfaction with every milestone and success on this rollercoaster ride.