On the Cusp of Something Big

I get asked a lot what keeps me motivated, especially from the perspective of a solo founder. A lot of my motivation has to do with a feeling that I’m on the cusp of something big. I pretty much always feel this way. If we just do x, y and z then this is going to be big. There is always something around the corner, seemingly within grasp.

For this to work you can’t be completely delusional, only partially. The difference between the two is having a credible plan. Of course, plans change and things don’t always work out. That’s why choosing an ambitious idea is strongly advised; with an ambitious idea, almost everywhere you turn you are on the cusp of something big.

I think this type of motivation works generally, though my particular experience is in startups. Startups are a long-term game. My best advice there is to treat entrepreneurship as a career path, but it is easier said than done absent some amount of success. For me, I had a taste of it three years in and some real success six years in. Then I started all over chasing at windmills and it was another four years before DuckDuckGo looked like it was turning into a real business. Now I have over fifteen years under my startup career belt and I’m still pretty motivated.

Gabriel Weinberg, @yegg
CEO & Founder, DuckDuckGo
Co-author, Traction