..till you do it yourself..borrowing the phrase from a fellow startuper…:)
Now most founders are great multi taskers and take on most tasks hands on…then they get 1 person,2,3 and 4
They become a bit hands off…look into affairs less..focus on clients,investors,people,culture etc and there is a sense of bandwidth before there is a realisation when shit hits the roof that there is no letting go…you are in it for life…now and always..what has to be done..has to be done…you will never be the ‘manager’ again…you will always be the soldier in the trenches cheering,shouting,motivating and bullying your way to getting where you want to…
There are no ‘nice’ leaders…only successful or failed ones based on their ability to pull it off…you either make it or you dont…there are no exit plans..not for the ones who do it for a dream and not for the supposed coolness and the hipness and the perceived freedom attached with being your own boss..
This is more work than working for another ever was and half as rewarding in monetary or material terms
Also working alone is almost a luxury…problem starts when you have to work with a team,get work done and manage resources whether owned or shared..
People are whimsical..they work if they want to and not coz you want them to..most managers forget that and basic theories of motivation and only remember that if I pay them..they must deliver..well they wont…they will only deliver if they believe you,like you and trust you!!
Likeability and trust are very hard to come by…loyalty is very hard to earn and moreover sustain!!
The sooner we get used to understanding that we cant do everything ourselves and need fellow workers who like us enough to come to our rescue and help with the work and the dream…the faster we will grow!!
Categorized in Enterprenuership
…to say that being self-employed is tough is almost a given..but being self employed without family support be it parents,partner or spouse is almost suicidal..
Running a company takes a lot out of person be it physically,mentally and especially emotionally…its a lonely process and the intimacy and the safety of strong personal bonds go a long way in reducing the burden..
Most entrepreneurs are dreamers and live in their heads..combine this with the risk taking appetite and the obsessive single mindedness to change the world and its almost impossible to draw them either out of their lonely shells or to get them off the constant energy field they create around themselves to keep going for themselves and also for the people who believe, rely, work, depend on them…
Dreamers dont handle failure very well either…they internalise every little slight and mull over it till they have either convinced themselves of their invincibility or drag themselves down with the perceived imperfections..
Most entrepreneurs I know either are in very strong relationships or none whatsoever…there is no middle ground…putting emotions into a ‘real’ relationship is almost akin to cheating on the ‘love’ of your life which is ailing at the moment and you are taking the easy way out by taking what you get and not what you want!!Its about making hard choices which hurt people.
A partner and spouse might also come in handy when everyone else doubts your capability to pull it off or you dont know as to where your next pay cheque is going to come from….its a vicious cycle of ups and downs and its the downs which will define the heights of the high and not vice versa…
You can get lost sometimes in the unchartered territory…a hand pulling you from the abyss could be the step before the BIG success..hold on to the unwavering champions of your life…you are very lucky if you have them!!Not all of us have them in the first place to hold on to!!Alas non-believers are a dime a dozen but then again it takes ONLY one unwavering believer to turn mediocrity into brilliance…!!!
Categorized in Behavioural Musings
I am surprised by the sheer waste that people indulge in when they hold on to the possibilities of future at the cost of today..they want a better tomorrow when their today is not the best…!!
I might be dead tomorrow morning right so how can I deny the here and now?
I made the same mistake that all hopeful and over ambitious people in the world make..I mortgaged my present for the future…well no more…living in the present is the only reality…everything else is either has been or make belief…!!
Categorized in Behavioural Musings
