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In a previous post I talked about entrepreneurship and emotions. With numerous examples we can realize the importance of trust and connection.
For the last +10 years I’ve been surrounded by entrepreneurs. I’ve had the fortune of meeting hundreds of entrepreneurs all around the world, all of them at different stages of development and facing their own particular challenges. There are many stereotypes around startup CEOs and founders: they work harder than anyone, they like risks, they have no personal life... I’ve found that, as with many other cases, there are all kinds of profiles. But all these ventures have one thing in common, though: all of them are started by people.
It seems to me that amidst the frenzy for technological development, the novelty of artificial intelligence data analysis, mobile applications and e-commerce, we forget that it’s humans who manage all of it. It’s crucial that we remember this, for it is emotions that shape all our projects. Fear, anger, anguish, pride, overwhelm, struggle, joy... Entrepreneurs ride on an emotional rollercoaster where we feel all this and more every time we begin a new venture. These emotions are so intense that they are in part responsible for the high divorce rates we see in startup founders. While I was getting my masters degree, a professor gave us a piece of advice: before starting a project, talk to your significant other about managing the mental absence.
Not only you have to deal with your own emotions, but your associates’ emotions as well. Most startups are founded by at least two people, although three would be ideal. They say that choosing your associates is even more delicate than choosing a spouse. I don’t know if that’s true, but it certainly is important. In the beginning, you spend way more time with your associates than you do with your family. There has to be absolute trust among you and them, you have to build upon your mistakes, celebrate your success and make hard decisions. Seeing the interaction between associates on older enterprises is like seeing a marriage of people who know each other and can communicate with nothing but a glance.
If we keep adding ingredients to the mix, then we have the employees. The interactions between them and with them, especially in the initial stages of a small company, have a huge impact.it seems that is more difficult to stick to what we learnt in The Godfather: “it’s not personal, it’s business”
These are all internal dynamics that serve as layers to build a company’s individual and team personality. Between these layers, there is also a dynamic of interactions with the outside world, particularly with current and future clients, as well as investor. But, paraphrasing the great Michael Ende: “that’s another story, and shall be told another time”.
#openinnovation #emotions #startups