Comments on: Starting up is hard

By: Neeraj

Neeraj — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:08:14 +0000

If it was easy, everyone would do it …. I’d add one more challenge to the question posed. Its also to keep the emotions in balance. There are points in startingup where you have to go back to the adage … “its not personal, its just business… ” … i’ve made so many mistakes mostly “people/employee mistakes” because i was too emotional about the person, and didn’t step back and ask, what’s best for BUSINESS and focus on that.

The hardest ingredient for me has been FOCUS.. its so easy when you are starting up to get swayed into anything that even bleakly looks like an opportunity and not remember to focus on the core.

By: manu

manu — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:26:19 +0000

Samir, Thanks for your comments. I agree with what you said. Though I’d add that I don’t consider it a ‘Valley of Despair’, in fact, doing a startup is exciting and exhilarating. Yes, it is hard, but it’s also an amazing experience. The point of the post was to let entrepreneurs know that they’re not alone when things are difficult. Other people have gone through similar situations. And yes, it is hard sometimes but that’s what makes the success taste that much sweeter in the end. To make up an analogy, I’d say that the path of least resistance is often around the mountain and not over it, but only those that choose to climb will say that they saw the view from the top.

By: Samir Shah

Samir Shah — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:10:26 +0000

Very good post. Decision making can be stressful but such is life in the ‘Valley of Despair’. I found the point about co-founders vs. going it alone interesting. I think it’s generally true that having a partner makes things easier on an emotional level but at the same time being in a partnership can also be stressful in its own right. For example, if two co-founders aren’t seeing eye-to-eye then a lot of the decision making involves compromise. I think it’s healthy to have co-founders who challenge each other in a respectful manner but strong opinions can sometimes clash, cause friction and lead to stress. In the end, trust is fundamental. Starting up right out of college is a good option for many but unfortunately the number of students who graduate debt-free is rapidly declining. As a result, fewer people are in a ‘nothing to lose’ position which drives many to pursue the safe route. In the end every entrepreneur has a unique path but there is fundamental truth to the title of this post: ‘Starting up is hard’.

By: manu

manu — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:36:59 +0000

Thanks Will. The intent was not to discourage at all, but to recognize that it is hard and let entrepreneurs know that it is okay to sometimes feel overwhelmed. In fact, it’s that healthy dose of skepticism that often helps us make better choices than we would in the absence of it.

By: Will Cheung

Will Cheung — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:24:14 +0000

Great post. Despite the “hard work,” I’m more inspired than discouraged.

By: Sean Cantrell

Sean Cantrell — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:14:34 +0000

Bootstraping is how I did it. I worked for 15 yrs as a mechanical engineer when I decided to start my own HVAC and plumbing company. I started in my basement working at nights while keeping my day job and finishing my MBA. It’s hard, but worth it, I can’t imagine working for someone else now. The hardest decision I had to make was 2 yrs into the business was getting a line of credit and using other peoples money instead of my own. The 2nd hardest decision was finding a building with enough parking. It’s the seemingly trivial decisions that wear me down, health insurance, workmans comp, etc.

By: manu

manu — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:11:57 +0000

Jonathan, you’re right. I should clarify that what I mean by decision making is basically making choices in uncertain situations. For example, will this person be a good hire? If I get the office space now will it be too big or too small in 6 months? Will the funding/revenues come in to support the expense structure? All good questions. All questions that require some amount of thought and diligence, and some amount of blind faith to make those choices.

By: Jonathan Berger

Jonathan Berger — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:01:29 +0000

You’re spot on with most of the post, especially the point about the questioning friend. I’m not sure it’s the decision-making, however, that causes most of the stress. I think the source might vary depending on the person. For some, I think it’s uncertainty about the future.