On Surfing and Startups

Applying the principles taken from a surfing addiction to the turbulent world of startups.

Diving in for the first time

Jumping head first into a startup, fresh from a cosy university lecture theatre, is not dissimilar to cautiously picking your way across a sharp coral reef and then having the guts to launch yourself into double overhead surf. In both cases, you are stepping some way outside of your comfort zone.

It is easy to lose focus on your startup idea or be demotivated by the perpetual walls of crushing white-water and strong rip currents. Despite giving it everything you have, it can sometimes feel like you’re going backwards. That said, the rewards – once you reach them – could not feel any more exhilarating.

Just go with the flow

Writing over a hundred years ago Jack London eloquently explained the best tactic to employ when you get hit by big waves:

The whole method of surf-riding and surf-fighting, I learned, is one of non-resistance. Dodge the blow that is struck at you. Dive through the wave that is trying to slap you in the face. Sink down, feet first, deep under the surface, and let the big smoker that is trying to smash you go by far overhead. Never be rigid. Relax.

This same tactic works just as well in a startup environment. If you are constantly trying to fight small deviations from your original idea, refuse to adapt to innovations in the industry, you’ll very quickly run out of steam. Being open to new ideas and knowing when it is time to adapt or switch track is one of a startups greatest assests.

Focus, focus, focus

Those at the top of their game both in the ocean and on land tend to have desperate, obsessive focus. In startups this means throwing every fibre of your being into the project. In surfing, focus means going out into the ocean every day, even when the conditions are onshore and messy and your wetsuit is freezing cold.

Learn from others

In the water this means watching others in the water, how deep do they sit in the line-up? How early do they kick off the wave to avoid the dry section? In startupland it is incredibly helpful to model your strategy on successful people who have braved the road before you. Why did they succeed? Or perhaps a better question to ask would be why did they fail?

But it looks so easy

The Kelly Slaters and Jack Dorsey’s of this world make their success look easy, inevitable. They have the frustrating ability of gliding serenely along the surface as if they’re not even trying. It’s important to realise that 99% of the time this is an illusion. Their performance only looks so effortless because of the sheer number of hours they have spent in gruelling training – dedicated to perfecting their craft.

Good timing

Good surfers know that catching the best waves is an art – it comes down to positioning and wave choice. It isn’t always easy to guess what the shape of the reef is and then position yourself just outside where the sets are breaking. You focus on the horizon, trying to judge the lumpy swell from shadows and when you see one, you paddle for the horizon as fast as you can. In startups the same logic applies, you need to understand the mechanisms which drive the trends, watch users behaviour and position your idea in the right community at exactly the right time.

Research your strategy and commit to it

In the water you’re constantly taking calculated risks - it is not possible to take every wave. If you tried, you’d end up paddling in circles and catching nothing. Instead it is sometimes better to spend time sitting further out back and wait for the bigger sets. Then when you pick your wave, you go for it with everything you have. You paddle like your life depends on it. Hesitancy here can translate to losing skin on the reef below. Equally, in startups, it is essential to take the time to understand the problem you are solving and then be willing to commit to the idea with everything you have.

Embrace failure

If you paddle out into the ocean when insanely big sets are rolling in, you expect to take a pounding every once in a while. But it can be amazingly liberating knowing that you’ve taken the biggest pounding possible and yet you’re still alive. This inspires confidence because you no longer have anything to be afraid of. Likewise, the most innovative companies design systems which plan for failure not success. Life in a startup is a constant process of failing, picking yourself up, reflecting on what you learnt from your mistakes, and then forging ahead in new directions.

Don’t fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.

— Bruce Lee

Live in the moment

Surfing teaches you to be present. The first dive under the whitewash is invigoratingly painful. Not for a prescribed period of time, but as a friend once said, “for an eternity of moments”. You catch a reflection of the morning sun. It brings your focus to the present and reduces you to a state of inarticulate wonder. As Mickey Smith says it is ‘where your heart beats the hardest’. In a startup environment, the perpetual streams of information and daily tasks make it extremely hard to achieve any state of ‘mindfullness’ - but it is important that you try to protect your psychic space.

Find people who care as much as you do

‘Happiness is only real when shared.’

—Christopher McCandless

Sure there’s nothing wrong with going solo, but driving 8 hours and scoring perfect waves is all the more incredible when you can share the joy with the people that mean the most to you. I can’t yet claim to know about success in startups yet, but I would imagine it is all the sweeter if you can share it with people you care about and who have shared the highs and lows on the road to get there.

Do what you love

Do what you love with relentless passion and trust that your hard work will eventually pay off in the end. To close, I think there is a lot of truth in the old saying that the journey is more important than the destination.

This post originally appeared on the Maptia blog here