An experienced founder will find a way.
A founder should always be ready for the fight!
I believe that the proper characteristics of a founder will have a massive impact on the success of their business.
A founder needs to be relentless and needs to have the resistance to be continually punched in the face while running a marathon full of obstacles, maintaining focus in running in the right direction.
We also need to be like camels… being able to move long distances without water and surrounded by a ruthless desert while our mind is racing and innovating 1000 miles an hour!
But it is the most exciting job on earth.
Being an early-stage founder is one of the loneliest, most challenging, and draining jobs a person can have. But I love it and would not see myself doing anything else.
I believe people with the right experience and characteristics thrive in chaos and are genuine problem solvers; that is what a founder should be.
Founders need to have a clear vision of the path they need to take and should be quick learners, they should be able to seek and receive feedback, filter it, not be afraid to adapt to change, have the ability to iterate fast and re-strategize when and if necessary.
It’s not a job for the faint of heart, but I believe it’s the perfect fit for the ones who thrive with a challenge, love creating something from scratch and aim to make a difference in the world.
Being a founder today is a trend for many people, especially young ones who get out of university and want to build their own business right away, but I believe that working for different companies will give them the experience and learnings to fail less or fail faster and iterate.
References from past experiences will give a founder the proper perspective and make them better prepared for what comes ahead.
There is no risk without financial risk.
We often see repeat founders choosing risk over comfort.
The “crazy ones” who make exits and continue creating, building, and challenging the status quo. We should give those guys extra respect.
They are not crazy; they want to leave their “dent” in the universe by innovating and defying the status quo every day, as they believe they have something to contribute, to continue building, or even to improve the solution to a problem that can be better solved.
Those people scare many, are misunderstood by others, and there are even people who question their sanity and vision.
These risk-takers are the ones who can change the world, the ones who have a fair chance of creating something unique that most people have trouble understanding or seeing clearly.
What they experienced in the past and their unique skills and vision might make it clear to them that there is a better solution to solve a problem that many think has already been solved.
I think these are the crazy ones we should love and nourish.
We are the average of the five people that surround us every day, so I make an effort to surround myself with these crazy ones I value and love!
And you? Who do you surround yourself with?
The world is changing, but there are three kinds of people:
- The Resistant: Ones who are ok with what is out there and resist change,
- The Critical: Ones who understand that times and habits are changing but still question or think that everything worth changing is already done,
- The Bold: Ones who question WHY every day. Question the status quo and are crazy enough, bold, and have a clear vision that inovation is a way to solve old problems in new ways,
“It’s always impossible until it is done.”
Experienced founders will find a way to make their startup and business work, as they have a relentless mindset, business sense, maturity, and experience to understand a problem better, change direction, iterate and reinvent, if necessary, their business repeatedly. Failing is not an option!
If we look at the past, we have many examples:
Airbnb started renting air mattresses, and today, its a top of mind when we go on vacation or need to work remotely for a while.
Slack started as a video game and is now one of the most famous enterprise collaboration tools we all use in tech companies.
Amazon started as a Bookseller to become the biggest marketplace in the world, and so much more.
We should never question. Instead, we should ask what these guys see that most people are not and try to look at and understand their perspective. Most of the time, these guys are seeing something most people are not, and are relentless enough to find the right way to make it work.
Experienced founders will find a way.
Experienced founders, who are emerged in an industry, understand the problem and are relentlessly finding the best solution, but sometimes they have difficulties clearly explaining their vision to the resistant ones.
That increases stress levels, and sometimes energy that should be applied in the business is being applied to changing people's minds. But it is what it is; founders also need to be prepared and know how to handle it.
We just need to surround ourselves with the right people who believe that the experience, drive, and passion of an experienced and mature founder will be the differentiating factor to reach success faster.
Please tag and share this with the one you believe might value, as experienced founders also love giving back and helping others; fail less, fail faster, and move on!
