Perseverance Follows Passion

It’s okay to quit your startup

An ideal that seems to be held closely by many entrepreneurs and regarded as the single most important key to success is perseverance.

I’m no longer sure if I agree with that and here’s why:

My Startup

Despite all of the signs: all of the discomfort, all of the pain, and the feeling of impending doom, I persisted.

Like many entrepreneurs I crave success; just the thought of it can be enough to ignite passion in me and turn me into irrational being. Many people seem to think this is good. You can read article, after article, about how persistence leads to success. But, don’t be misled: it takes much more than just that.

When all these signs were thrown at me, rather than acting on instinct alone, I consulted with family and friends for advice. Nobody told me to quit. They were all well aware that I had spend over seven months of my time and way too much of my money trying to make this work. “Just give it another month” was a common response — persist.

Your decisions are tainted by the emotional investments you accumulate, and the more you invest in something the harder it becomes to abandon it.
—David McRaney

At this point I had already given it “another month” three or four times. The concept of the sunken cost was fresh on my mind from university and it was becoming more and more clear that my emotions were ignoring the obvious facts.

Why I Quit

While my startup faced countless issues, I can honestly say that very few were factored into my decision to leave. The real reason why I decided to leave can be found in a quote by Steve Jobs.

“I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
—Steve Jobs

It’s simple: my answer had been “No” for too many days.

What I Have Learned

It’s true that perseverance is a critical component to entrepenural success, however there is a prerequisite: passion for the vision.

It’s not just “don’t give up”. It’s “don’t give up if you truely love what you’re doing”.

Perseverance follows passion.