Starting from scratch - it’s different this time
Posted on March 4th, 2008 in Business, Personal |
I’ve been in and around startups for a while now but even though I’ve been at the ‘idea on paper’ stage for one of them, and have been a key part of the team at others, I’ve never been the final resting place for the proverbial buck. It’s different this time.
The level of pressure, and as a result the required level of commitment shoots through the roof. The only way to cope is to be prepared every day and work your ass off. The good news is that this is easy to do. When you’re invested in the idea and vested in the outcome, you don’t think twice about putting in the time needed to achieve your goals.
4 Responses
I’ve written business plans, raised capital and launched applications, but never as you say “the final resting place for the proverbial buck”. Having just made that switch, until you’ve actually been there you can never really understand the difference in perspective.
It isn’t just a question of putting in more time, it is a question of attitude, energy and passion. A big lesson learned is that passion can make the impossible possible, and now I understand how so many companies can succeed where they should have failed. Under Armour is my favorite example… “I wanna compete against Nike & Reebok in sports apparel, with no real IP protection other than a new name.” “Ok, sounds good, let’s do it.”
Manifest your own success.
Andrew, you’re absolutely right. Passion is the critical ingredient, not just time. You’ve got to want to make it work. Great example on Under Armour - I hadn’t really thought about them that way.
awesome, rahul! the more i learn about starting things from scratch, the more impressive it seems - i also think you guys are really on to something . . .
Thanks Matt. Appreciate the good wishes.