My first STHLM Startup Weekend EX
The fist day of SW Stockholm finished with me going home on a tube observing happy people enjoying their Friday night out. On one of the party stations a bunch of teenagers barges into the train and sits on the opposite side. 3 guys, 1 girl. All seems fine. One of them takes out coca-cola 400ml glasses ouf of his bag. Hm. Why not. Some cola at 11. But next thing I see him holding is 1L bottle of vodka. Am I back at home? What is happening? Was I doing the same in their age.??
—Pour me more, it is too little! — My eyebrows go dramatically up, forgetting an intensive first day of Startup Weekend, and me starting smiling in a weird way waiting to see what happen next. Do I have enough health to drink 300 ml of vodka in one go just like that? Is it really spirits? Are they joking with water? My intensive look fails me and I hear a question in a very polite and nice Swedish:
— Excuse me, are you from police? Hahaha, me? from police? Maybe I should have taken that path ☺I shake my head in response. The only thing that I can squeeze out of myself is — You know guys, you should eat while drinking. And after reassuring yes, thank you, I try not to distrubt them with my scrutinizing stare. In couple of stations they go out, not forgetting to say a polite hej då. Lovely. I even forgive them for spoiling their health. Speaking about health..
Sometimes I think that pitching courses/practice are needed for those ideas/startups that do not solve real customers’ problems, developing feelgood products. Real guys either bootstrap (no investments needed) or say the following to the investors: here’s the problem, here’s solution, market and our rock team. And in a flash receive 1, 10 or 100 million dollars. I know, know. This question is more philosophical, than requiring answer. But to tell the truth I was and am stuck with it.
It might be the reason of my previous failures, when I stopped believing that product, that I am developing, is really needed, wanted and waited by customers. Inners inne, I always make an analogy with Oreo cookies: I am a marketing person myself and have been launching new brands. And I know quite well what a marcom mix is. But, common guys, I was literary sick of the Oreo cookies being dipped into milk every 15 min on TV! And you know what: who on Earth needs another chocolate cookie, okey, of different form, colour?
My point here is: go for real stuff. Think big. Conquer mountains.
This week I read a medium post by Bijan Sabet, VC and awesome Leica photographer. His last blogpost was about fear. Quote: “One way I know I’ve really connected with a founder in our portfolio is when they let me in on their true fears. Not fears about the competition, or fear of not being able to hire the star developer they have been targeting, or fear of missing the revenue target for the quarter. But the real, deep, honest fear: “I don’t know what I’m doing”.
This fear is not a rare thing. I can even call it normal and usual within startupers. Though I have never ever heard anyone yet articulating it. Neither me. I doubt that this will change. Who needs a leader, CEO or project manager who doen’t know where to lead? WTF? Why do we/they have to follow? Being put like this it can be one of the common reasons for statups failure for sure.
Advice: share your fears with your team! Sharing won’t you look weak. On the opposite, it will make you and your team only stronger.
That’s it for tonight. Two more awesome days to come! Aaand a finishing touch from me, official Stockholm Startup Weekend: Health and Wellness DJ:
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