Saying yes to a new challenge in front of us is stepping onto the path of a new adventure. Whether it’s a fresh job, a relationship, or diving into your own thing, that initial “yes” is just the beginning, the first step in a commitment to putting in the necessary effort if we’re aiming for success.
Risk and effort always walk hand in hand. Although results are not always a sure thing under our control, there are ways we can help our risk-taking be more fruitful:
1. Building the Right Team
Creating the right team is like building a powerhouse, especially in a company setup. It’s not just about your partners and core team; it includes everyone who joins the journey later on. These are the people you rely on, and you need to trust not only in their abilities but also in who they are. It’s a two-way street – you trust them, and they trust you enough to jump on board. After that, the trick is to boost the team’s trust and confidence in each other.
Now, let’s talk about some must-have characteristics, in my view, for your team:
- Energetic: Because building something from scratch takes a ton of energy.
- Pragmatic Optimists: You want people who see the real deal but are always finding ways to tackle whatever comes their way.
- Risk Takers: They should be ready to jump into the unknown with you.
- Responsible: Obviously, you need to trust them with different tasks.
- Ductile: Like being able to adapt to dynamic and changing environments and discoveries.
- Ready to Learn: Because someone who doesn’t move forward isn’t much good.
- Able to Handle Team Dynamics: It’s about healthy confrontations and discussions.
Why do you need all of these attributes? Because, at the beginning, you’ve got to break through the existing inertia and get that wheel spinning. And as CEO, my role is to support and walk with this group. It’s about holding them up, passing on optimism, and believing that everything will work out because pessimism just sucks the energy out.
Moving on from specific roles, successful teams often have:
- A Leader or Co-Leaders: Someone to steer the ship.
- Sales Hustler: The one pushing to get their product or service out there.
- Brand Builder: Making the company known.
- Strategist: Defining the offering and strategy.
- Operations Guru: Handling day-to-day stuff.
But, in a startup, it’s pretty normal for everyone to wear a bit of every hat. It’s a team effort, after all.
2. Understanding the Market Opportunity
Knowing what you aim to create, improve, enhance, or solve, and how the market feels about it, is fundamental for successful entrepreneurship. Conviction in your mission is crucial, coupled with a close eye on the market fit and the ability to iterate until you create something that stands the test -and trust me, more likely than not you will need to do it, many times.
3. Expertise and Know-How
A solid understanding of what you’re doing is non-negotiable if you want to succeed in your new adventure. Whether it’s your expertise, your partners’, or your team’s, knowledge must be present. It’s about innovation with wisdom, not recklessness in an unfamiliar environment.
4. The X Factor
Call it context, luck, or the mix of preparation and opportunity – it’s about being aware, ready to offer the right solution, and connecting with the right decision-makers. Decontextualizing our destiny from immediate circumstances is crucial: it’s great to grow with the market, but it’s even better to think bigger than just what’s around you. This way, you can gain the resilience to face anything, even if it’s not going your way.
All of these pillars originate from saying yes. But here’s the twist – once you’ve got these pillars in place and you’re rolling, you’ve got to start saying no. No to projects that steer you away from your goals, no to things that tie you down, and definitely no to stuff that doesn’t align with what you’re all about. It’s about having confidence in your skills and what you’re bringing to the world.
I hope you’re all set to build these four pillars and jump into an adventure that could change not just your life but many others. Join us as we create better futures for humanity!