Tough Going?: Here's How to Keep Moving Forward

Working in a start-up is often romanticised—visions of fast-paced innovation, disruptive products, and overnight success dance in the minds of budding entrepreneurs and employees alike. But the reality? It's tough. And when the going gets tough, the tough need to dig deep, get going, and push forward.

1. Slow Progress is Inevitable Start-ups, by their very nature, are fragile in their early stages. Whether you're navigating through product development, trying to find product-market fit, or just securing that next round of funding, progress is rarely as quick as you'd like. You’ll set ambitious goals, only to fall short.

But here's the thing: slow progress doesn’t equal no progress. Even the smallest forward step is movement in the right direction. When the journey feels like a crawl, remember to focus on those small wins—they’ll accumulate over time.

2. Embrace the Difficult Days It's no secret that start-ups come with high stress, long hours, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. You’ll have days where everything feels like it's going wrong. But how you handle those days defines your success. The best founders and employees aren’t those who never struggle but those who know how to struggle well.

When things get tough, take a step back, recalibrate, and take one problem at a time. You can’t fix everything at once, but you can make meaningful improvements, even on the hardest days. Resilience is key to staying in the game.

3. Keep Your Eyes on the Vision In the grind of daily operations, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Constant setbacks can make it feel like you’re running in circles. But successful start-ups aren’t built overnight; they are forged through persistence and a commitment to the long-term vision.

When challenges pile up, revisit the 'why' behind your start-up. Why did you start this journey in the first place? What’s the change you want to make in the world? Reconnecting with your purpose can provide a much-needed morale boost and remind you that the difficult moments are part of a larger story.

4. Learn to Suck It Up and Move On Not every battle is worth winning, and not every problem can be solved immediately. Sometimes, the best move is to accept setbacks, learn from them, and press on. This doesn’t mean ignoring issues but rather having the emotional discipline to recognise that not every obstacle is a permanent roadblock.

Sucking it up isn’t about suppressing frustration—it’s about channelling it into determination. It’s about acknowledging when things are tough but refusing to be paralysed by them.

5. Surround Yourself with the Right Team The tough moments are more manageable when you have the right people by your side. The best start-up teams are filled with individuals who share the vision and are equally committed to pushing through challenges. They understand that the path is rough, but they are ready to rally and support one another when the going gets tough.

If you’re leading a start-up, fostering a culture of resilience and collaboration is key. Encourage your team to speak openly about challenges, share wins (no matter how small), and lean on each other for support.

6. Celebrate the Small Wins In a start-up, it’s easy to fixate on what’s not going well. However, if you don’t take time to celebrate the small victories, burnout will soon follow. Celebrating progress, even incremental, can give you the fuel needed to keep pushing forward. Whether it’s landing a new client, releasing a product feature, or simply surviving a tough week, every win counts.

7. Get Back in the Game In the end, the start-up journey is not for the faint-hearted. There will be setbacks, moments of doubt, and days that make you question your path. But the key is to keep getting back in the game. Persistence, resilience, and a relentless focus on moving forward, even if it’s at a slower pace than you’d like, will see you through.

When the going gets tough, it’s the tough who survive and thrive in the unpredictable world of start-ups. So, suck it up, stay the course, and keep pushing toward your vision. You’ll be stronger for it.