If you’ve read more than a couple of my blog posts, you’ll find that I spend just as much time focusing on more touchy-feely subjects as I do on more tactical learnings. There’s a reason for that, as the psychological state of you and your team has a tremendous effect on your ability to execute, and therefore, the success of your venture.
Flashback to late 2011/early 2012. I was miserable. My first time as CEO, across the country from my fiancé, dog, and support base, trying to raise money and having a terrible time doing it (in hindsight it was because **I** was terrible at it). I was hearing “No” pretty much every day. I probably was on the edge of full depression, as every day seemed dark with no path out.
At the first DC Tech Meetup after coming back to DC, I ran into Bryan Sivak, a former entrepreneur who’s now bringing some badly needed innovation to the federal government. As I was talking to him about the challenges I was facing, he gave me one key piece of advice.
“Just have fun.”
And so I do. Every day. Entrepreneurs love what we do every day. Being in a startup is fun. As challenging as it may be on a daily basis, I could not ask for a more enjoyable, fulfilling professional experience. For some reason, those three words just struck a nerve, and rarely a day goes by where I don’t recall them, and I can’t help but be happy.
