Phil wrote a punchy piece earlier this year about the balancing act between brutal truth and hope being a condition of startup success.
“Without brutal truth, we live the startup dream until we run out of money and go back to our day job. Without hope, we never begin.”
This is baked into every day of our life as founders. It is part of the underlying rhythm as we make our way along the entrepreneur’s journey – all the way from coming up with an idea in the first place and mapping out your business plan; to pitching, finding a co-founder and (hopefully!) one day scaling and/or selling your business.
There are a few things to remember if you are going to be a successful entrepreneur yourself, and also to ensure that we build strong startup communities along the way.
1. This is not a linear journey: At school we divide our learning into years; and years into terms; and terms into weeks; and weeks into days. For every one we get through, we are one step closer to the end of our journey. Not so when you are an entrepreneur… Some stages you will skip; some you will have to do over. Some stages will take days to feel like you are through them; some will take years; and some you may never complete. Whatever the case, we never stop learning.
2. Loop back: Sometimes you will hit roadblocks that you can crash through; sometimes you can skirt around them; and sometimes you will run into a dead end… All is not lost though. Loop back, recycle your learnings, and become a better entrepreneur, flearn-by-flearn.
3. Eyes on the prize: What is that big, hairy, audacious goal you are shooting for? Why does it matter to you so much? And how the heck are you going to get there? Focus on the signal; filter the noise.