The Unsung Hero
The most important person in my startup doesn’t even work there
“There’s 3 people in this relationship!”
She was right.
In 18 months CrowdEmotion hit its first “oh shit” moment.
Early on, we opened up a partnership with a large global media company to understand how emotions drive content choice. We built tech. We expanded the team. We doubled down on sales efforts. We gave everything and slowly lost sight of our key priority.
We forgot about our people. All of them.
We were sluggish, distracted, and underwhelmed. We worked our 18 hour days to diminishing returns tackling a very difficult problem. Our people side of the business sucked.
I needed to re-assess. Fast.
Hindsight provided the material. The book: Hard Things About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz provided the context.
But she provided the clarity.
Let’s do one of the many trips we always spoke about.
For christmas she surprised me with flights to Burma. It was 18 months for our relationship as well. She only knew me as a self-employed dreamer who put everything into work. Yes, I made her laugh, but the life we wanted was so far from where we were.
Instead of running in the other direction, she took a punt. She bet on us.
The trip was to take place in 3 months which I could only see as “the most critical time for the business”. I had just reduced the team right down, many good friends to whom I am forever indebted. I couldn’t see how going away would help. But, as she bet on us, I had to make it work.
That was the beginning of the change.
Focus on the people around you — family, friends, colleagues, clients and all else will follow.
The trip did wonders. It set a timeline. It set expectations. It unplugged.
Most importantly it gave us time together to build our relationship. That’s where we uncovered the key people issue.
Stability.
Not just in a financial way, though important, was the stability of a lifestyle she could work with.
There it was, clear as day.
My job in life is to remove as much uncertainty as possible to pursue the uncertain.
3 months on…
We are by no means in the clear, but velocity is higher, focus is clearer and clients are starting to know what’s coming down the pipe. We know what to say “no” to and are making decisions that are grounded in data rather than feel. There’s still a long way to go. The difference is steering the ship by constant course correction rather than one bearing and leaving the helm.
At home, things are changing. We have set dinner times, cook together, date nights, and try to sneak in the cheeky lunch. I consider myself extremely lucky to have family, friends, and colleagues go through the uncertainty of a startup with me.
Most of all, I am lucky to have her.
My partner in the one startup you can’t afford to fail — life.
This piece was inspired by my co-founder’s wife, Nadia Camandona, who provided a moving example of what it’s like to live with an entrepreneur.
