Entrepreneurs are dreamers. Of course there is money involved but mostly they dream about how they'll change the world. But sometimes reality strikes. And many times it strikes bad.
A few weeks ago we (at Licensario) had a crappy week.
Before that things were going really good for us. We felt like we were going in the right direction. We were dreamers. And then, one morning, you wake up into a storm. Reality strikes.
I wanted to write this post on that week but I'm glad I didn't. Things got back on track since then. We're starting our beta and there's a lot of interest from companies we haven't dream of talking with at this stage. I guess I wanted to write this blog to focus for a minute on the down side of things. I think that most of the stories we hear are of companies that succeeded which is great but there are more who didn't. And even those who succeeded had bad days.
So, how do you get past the bad days? The best thing in my opinion is to remember that failure is the path to success (I'm sure that an old smart man said it sometime… If not, I'm taking the copyrights on this one for myself :)). I don't have the statistics but I bet most of successful people failed a few times before they got to where they are. If you believe in what you're doing and you're sure your idea is a game changing one then give yourself a minute to be down and then get back on the horse. The market is not waiting for you to get over some bad news. I know that some people will read it and say that it's easier said than done. Well, bullshit I say. Sure, when you're down it seems like everyone around you is having fun, making a lot of money and on their way to success. Always remember, that's a load of crap. It's just like that when we have a girlfriend we're sure that all the women out there wants us. Yeah right. The fact you've got a girl beside you doesn't mean that you're not the same ugly dude. It's just a matter of perception. Remember, we're all human beings. We share the same fears.
You need to keep in mind that things change fast. Especially when you're running a startup company. It's an emotional rollercoaster and it goes fast. It's not a ride where you just sit back and relax. It's not a 9 to 5 ride. And it's definitely not a ride for people with a low breaking threshold. But, with that said, I'll recommend it to everyone who's thinking about taking the risk. Unless you're a big shoot in a company there's no other way for you to take critical decisions. A life changing decisions for your company. And that's the exciting part of the rollercoaster ride. You learn in a day more than you learn in a month in an office job. You learn about how to run a company, how to take an idea from the grounds up but the most important thing is that you learn about yourself.
You don't get used to bad news but you can definitely learn how to handle them better.
(*) The credit for the title goes to my partner, Igor Shapiro
21st century geek 
Great post, thank you. I'm working on a start up at the moment. It is a lonely ride when you're doing it alone and there are definitely bad days. When I'm having a particularly bad day, I consider the alternative: 20 hour days in a cold office under fluorescent lighting – working for someone else. No thanks! But it's great to read posts like this too – to know others go through the same ups and downs on this amazing journey. Good luck!
Thanks for your words. My suggestion for you is to find a partner you trust and join forces. It will increase your chances for success and most important you'll have someone to share the bad days and, not less important, the good days.
Good luck in your journey.
Great post!
Good Luck :)
Thanks!
True, true :)
But the post included only general statements!
It would be a lot more interesting to hear what went bad and how did you overcome it?
Hi Liran, a pleasure as always. I don't feel comfortable with sharing the details yet but let's just say it was mainly financial issues. I promise to write more about how to fix things.
Anyway, I've got a feeling I will see you in a meetup soon and we'll discuss more.
Sure :)
Keep on the good work!
Gil, great post! It's just like you said, people hear only the goods stories, but no one tells you about the failures. In my opinion the media is also to take part of the blame, because the newspapers never write about the harsh, painful times of a startup, only the overnight success stories. Hang in there, you guys have a great product and customers will see it.
Gur, thanks for the kind words. This post was published a long time ago (in startup time :)) so I guess I should also write something about the good days because we're seeing many of those since then.
I think the media is writing about what people want to read. If you're in search for the truth you'll have to dig deeper. Glad you found my blog.