Authentic Relationships
As mountain guides and venture capitalists, it is our job to form authentic relationships with our clients and entrepreneurs. All of the value in our business comes from the effort.
The nature of these relationships can be hard to describe, and the experience can vary among participants, but they share certain common elements.
Authentic relationships are durable: guides and clients who experience success and failure together learn to rely on each other with an unshakeable trust. A first summit is a good start, but authenticity is formed over a career together, not in a single deal.
Authentic relationships have integrity: guides and clients depend upon each other to state the obvious and to understand each other’s strengths and limitations. Being the CEO of a startup is a lonely, dangerous place, but having confidence in your VC’s skill and judgment makes a difference in the outcome.
Authentic relationships involve risk: guides and clients are careful in choosing an objective because they understand that failure is a possibility and that the consequences can be fatal. Experienced entrepreneurs and VCs know when they’ve missed the mark and live to climb another day together.
Authentic relationships are complex: guides and clients know each other professionally, and while they’re sometimes good friends, their relationship is mediated by the mountains. When the climb is over they often return to their respective lives. I don’t have to endorse the lifestyle choices of an experienced entrepreneur if we share a common mission and vision of the company we’re building together.
Authentic relationships are formed through progression: it’s difficult to start out with a client on the hardest objective, let alone achieve it. Progression is an important feature of a guide and a client’s history together, and forms the basis of their shared trust. The best VCs cultivate their relationships with entrepreneurs through progressive, successful ventures. It takes years to build a great company and the best outcomes for VCs and entrepreneurs involve the long game.
Authentic relationships are rewarding: few people seek out high mountain adventures as a part of their daily lives, and even fewer devote themselves to developing the skills required for a certified mountain guide. Those that do share a love of the sport and a joy in the experience that is magnified by their partnership. While building a successful technology company is hard work, and the payday can be satisfying, enjoying the ride is a key part of what makes life together fulfilling for entrepreneurs and VCs.
