Alright, the start-up failed & Here are 4 gems I brought for you.
“Good judgment is the result of experience and experience is the result of bad judgment.”- Mark Twain
7 months into a startup and It crashed. Honestly, I was quite hesitant to share this failure, but then I realized fuck it. The reason I started this blog was to share my perspective. If it could help one person, this article has fulfilled its purpose.
Anyway, It was a wonderful journey & I appreciate the lessons I learned from this experience. So here are 4 insights I brought along with me from my dip.
Lesson #1: Set your boundaries with a straight face.
My first startup was a collaboration with my friend. He is an amazing person by himself and has the caliber to do anything. I have learned many invaluable lessons from him. In fact, I envy some of his traits that I cannot help but admire it. Even though some of them are cocky.
But when it came to his leadership, I couldn’t ride the same boat. His methods we very authoritarian. It involved trying to make me dependent on him. At least that’s how I interpreted it. This was a red flag for me. A big no.
Set your expectations with a straight face. I am the kind of person who doesn’t like being told what to do. And if this is you, that’s okay. You are honest with yourself. Respect yourself. If you feel like you are being underrepresented or underappreciated, express it with a straight face. Don’t be a nice person. This is when you express your ferocious side. This is when you say, “Hey back off, I don’t like the way it’s going.”
I failed at this step, Instead of standing up for my integrity, I let another person walk over me. I thought, “It would be mean to do it. He might feel bad about my actions or It might hurt him.”. Fuck This, This is You who we are talking about. This is not the time to be selfless, This is the time to be a mean person.
I realize part of my problem was I didn’t know what to do when. I know I am mean sometimes & I know I am generous sometimes. But We need to realize when to express which part of us. What does the context require you to be?
Lesson #2 Have the financial journal with you.
Every startup starts with some capital. I was not really concerned about the financial part of the business. I was more into the creative side of the business. The side that involved action and strategy. Although I had invested equal amount of capital in the start-up, I didn’t take the responsibility of the finance. Please if you can take one thing from this article, Take this, “Have the financial journal with you.”
I cannot tell you how much misunderstanding and passive aggression it created in this partnership because “I” failed to keep a financial journal. Cynical thought like, “Am I been cheated? What about the profit? These numbers don’t match up, What should I do?” Thoughts like these gave me headaches. I could have saved myself a lot of troubles, had I kept my financial journal or expressed I needed the financial clarity to my partner.
Lesson #3 There is no right move, Just take the dam decision.
As the start-up was growing, We started making plans for the next step. What is the best decision? We should not be wrong. How should we do it?
We started seeing all these possibilities. We just couldn’t make ourselves to take action. It was the paralysis of analysis.
We would have accomplished much more in half the time, had we simply taken actions and leaned in. I spent a week designing a post for a facebook ad. God, I so want to slap myself for this. Anyway Here’s the takeaway, Just take the dam decision, act.
Lesson #4 Keep your mouth shut.
This one is my favorite. Do you know why we have one mouth and two hands? It because we are designed to talk less and do more.
In my initial journey, I started bragging to everyone. My family & my friends were surprised by my sudden change in behavior. I started to talk about “big” stuff. I started telling others how successful I am gonna be once my startup gets the hit. I am struggling with my hesitation to express myself on this part but anyway, I started showing off. I started “pretending” to be successful. Instead of giving attention to my work, I became a phony.
Please if you are anything like me, Just Stop. You are disrespecting others and disrespecting yourself. Don’t pretend, Be an authentic human being. Who do you have to show off to? This is how you start being an integrated human being.
Conclusion:
Hmm, how should I end it? Guys, I made mistakes, a lot of mistakes. But this is not enough for me to quit on my journey. This journey made me reflect on myself. Starting from my childhood, my mother, my father, my family & friends.
I started reflecting on everything in my life. I realized how fortunate I am in having them in my life. And how foolish I am in taking them for granted. If I could change any one thing in these past months, that would be being humble.
I cannot complain about anything. This was part of my lessons. I am proud that I overcame my shortcomings and challenged myself to express.
Have a big vision, but start with small steps. Make plans and most importantly have fun.
