A Startup Resource Guide

….and other things I wish I’d known.

When people ask me what I do, I tend to chuckle and shrug. Usually, I manage to mumble something about teaching ‘treps at VCU and running a web company, which inevitably prompts the second question, “Do you enjoy what you do?” This question is easier to answer in my opinion. Absolutely. I love what I do because I think I can change the world. That of course, sounds lofty, but that’s the mentality you have to have to be an entrepreneur. Frankly, it’s too hard otherwise. Hear me out — I don’t necessarily mean “cure cancer” change the world. I mean “my website helps people do the work that they love” or “that guy felt more confident in the shirt I made and he just nailed his job interview” change the world. You have to have the mentality that what you do, whatever it is, is going to put someone in a better place because you did it THAT well.

There it is; less than two hundred words later you have the secret to being an entrepreneur. If you get nothing else from my ramblings, you’ll be alright.

My work would be done except the guys at Ledbury (where this article originally appeared) asked me to put together a resource list for entrepreneurs. By no means am I an expert entrepreneur — not even close. I have, however, done some stupid things and learned some hard lessons along the road, so here a few thoughts and a list of tools that will give some solid pointers for surviving this crazy lifestyle.

Thoughts — Here’s my list of things I wish someone had told me before I got my face kicked in on my first startup. (Slight exaggeration.)

1. Entrepreneurship is a team sport. Sure, there’s something sexy about the “never talk to anyone, hack it together in your garage” breed of entrepreneurs we read about, but the truth is, this life is tough without a partner or a posse to watch your back. Entrepreneurship is competitive, but it isn't a zero sum game. Find some people to help you win.
2. Surround yourself with smart people. Slightly different than above, you should find a mentor or advisor who has done some cool stuff similar to the things you want to do. Chances are, they've figured out some tricks and can share tips on how to not get your ass kicked too hard. Make sure the people you surround yourself with are at least 15 minutes ahead of you because 15 minutes is all it takes to see someone make a mistake and avoid making it yourself.
3. Make a decision. Not my own wisdom, but definitely worth sharing. Your business won’t fail because you make a bad decision, it WILL fail if you didn't make any decision. Tap that network of smart people you have around you to help you make the call, but pull the trigger one way or the other and figure it out from there.
4. Never stop learning. It seems like such a simple piece, but a huge part of being in the startup game is acknowledging that there are things you don’t know. On the bright side, there are a fair amount of cool people out in the world who have figured out a lot of the things we haven’t when it comes to launching your own gig. Don’t expect knowledge to be handed to you. Hit Google, ask questions, and don’t be afraid of trying weird things or making mistakes. Treat everything as a learning opportunity and the lessons you’ll net will be invaluable.
5. Be comfortable and be confident. Be yourself in your skin, clothes, and in your business. For the longest time I thought I had to be this “business guy” to get things done. I've since found that the team and I connect with more people when we’re genuine as opposed to feeling obligated to talk fancy and play dress up. You’ll attract the right people by being transparent more than you will dancing the dance.

Tools — Below is the short list of tools and links I use for inspiration or getting work done.

1. Entrepreneur Magazine — It’s one of those publications that seems so obvious, but is SO under utilized by a fair amount of the entrepreneurs I talk to. The articles are legit and checking in online (their Twitter feed is solid) is a great way to keep up with the latest news from both new and established founders. entrepreneur.com
2. Moleskine — I wanted to throw a physical tool on the list because I’m a huge fan of going analog. As much as I love tapping away on my phone or tablet, I swear by the Moleskine Cahier Journals with squared pages (personal preference on the page type). They’re durable enough to last the month that I carry one, but inexpensive and disposable enough to not feel like a douche when I roll it up, scuff it, or retire it and start in a new one. Plus they’re the same size as my iPad mini, so one is easy to carry around with the rest of my gear. moleskine.com/web/en
3. Slack — Slack is hands down the best team tool out there right now. At Coffitivity, we’ve tested tons of communication tools to help us work a little better, and Slack has blown every single one out of the water. The guys who brought us Flicker built this to help teams stay awesome and I recommend everyone at least take a look. Icing on the cake — it integrates with a fair amount of the tools most teams use already like Google Docs or Trello. slack.com
4. Mattermark Daily — A killer publication put on my radar by the Lumiary crew. Mattermark Daily is a pretty solid curation of articles, musings, and blog posts from the movers and shakers building the future. mattermark.com/app/Newsletter
5. Peter Theil via Blake Masters — If I ever meet Blake Masters, I’m going to buy him several beers. This guy was in Peter Theil’s Computer Science 183 course at Stanford, which was only semi cool until he transcribed all of his class notes into a massive blog post from former CEO of PayPal (and then of course, went on to co-author Theil’s book, Zero to One). This blog covers everything from team to culture to financing to failure. It’s long, but I highly recommend the read. blakemasters.com/peter-thiels-cs183-startup
6. FoundryTV via YouTube — I recommend that everyone hit up YouTube once or twice a week to listen to a podcast on something they want to learn about. I come across these just about every time I’m searching for some knowledge on various aspects of startups and it’s definitely a solid YouTube channel for founders. youtube.com/user/USparkFoundryTV

I’ll leave you with this: entrepreneurship is a pretty thrilling gig. The highs are high and the lows can be grueling and scary. Luckily, there are plenty of resources above and even more beyond what I’ve thrown at you. And remember, if you do nothing else, make sure to enjoy the journey.

(This article originally appeared on the Ledbury Blog.)

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