Startup U: Lesson 4 - Perseverance

"It's not about how many times you fall, but how many times you get back up." Abraham Lincoln.

I don't think of Lincoln as a startup guru but the ability to get back up when you fall, the determination to press on regardless of conditions is a key to success for a startup.

Ice Energy has been a 15 year overnight success. I've lived through the highs and I've lived through the lows, including several near death experiences for the business. In the end, it was perseverance that got us through. A refusal to give up when the odds of making it seemed grim.

Perseverance is not an absolute good. When you have the right product and people, perseverance is an absolute good, even necessity. If your product is not right, or your people aren't right, persevering with that product or that team is not good perseverance - it's banging your head against the wall.