What Founders Could Learn from Skaters
And Why the Skating Community is Thriving
With an ice cream in one hand and a camera in the other, I spent a couple of hours in the sunshine in Clissold Park last weekend watching some local skaters doing their thing in the skatepark.
Although I was a poor skater in a former life (and still try to surf and snowboard badly when given the chance), I enjoy nothing more than watching the guys and girls rip it up on any given day. It’s hypnotising and helps me tune out.
Sitting there admiring their skills while spilling melted ice-cream all over my shirt, a few things stuck me about the skating community:-
- There is a huge sense of encouragement — from raw beginners trying their first ollies to the experts landing huge airs. No matter how hard the trick or whatever the level of expertise, you can’t mistake that sound of boards banging on the concrete in appreciation.
- Falling is also ok — if you’re not falling then you’re not pushing the boundaries. Take the knocks and move on. Chicks dig scars anyway ☺
- There is no bullshit — it’s a public arena. The only optics that matter are the ones that everyone can see. The trick your doing right at that moment, not the monster air you did last week in the ‘other’ park or the one you’re going to do tomorrow.
Encouragement
One particular episode struck me about how genuine the skater community is. A girl skater, aged about 13 or 14, turned up and it must have been her first time there. After spending an eternity watching everyone else, she eventually dropped in and made it up to the other side of the bowl— a small victory during an otherwise quiet session.
The reaction though was like she’d just landed a Tony Hawk style 900. Pretty much every single skater came up and introduced themselves, patting her on the back and welcoming her to community. I guess the same thing likely happened to them when they first took the plunge.
On its face, the start-up community is about paying it forward as all entrepreneurs had to start somewhere too. However, the naturally competitive nature of start-ups and businesses in general means that all too often, people forget that and get distracted by a scarcity mentality. What one person gains, another person loses. There aren’t as many skateboards hitting the ground in start-up land.
Raising capital probably exposes this best. There seems to be an unwritten rule that when one start-up pulls in a big round from a top tier VC firm, the chances of someone else pulling in that amount have somehow diminished. VC’s are always working toghether to help with their deal flow. Founders rarely help each other when it comes to fundraising for fear of losing out.
It shouldn’t be about who gets what slices, it should be about growing the pie together. There is more capital out there than ever before (especially in Europe). There’s never been a better time to be a founder. A little encouragement could go a long way.
Falling
It’s not about the number of times you fall, but the number of times you get back up that matters. Skaters will always make sure you’re ok when you have a spill — literally lifting you back to your feet. One inherent problem in start-up land is that to survive you need to ‘always be selling’ (ABS). You can never be seen to be falling. The reality as Mark Suster points out, is that start-ups are all naked in the mirror.
If you ask another founder how things are going, the answer is usually ‘we’re killing it!’. Sam Altman recently wrote a post about this and the larger problem of founder depression . There seems to be a trend at the moment of founders speaking up about their mental health problems. TechCrunch did an in-depth article interviewing a number of anonymous parties who had all experienced depression at one stage or another while trying to grow their company. This is exposure is much needed and can only help change things for the better in the long run.
If you’ve read the book ‘Quiet’ by Susan Cain — you’ll know that there is a psychological price for being inauthentic. In the short-term, unwavering confidence might do the job but it can also cause stress and lead to longer-term damage. I understand that there is a need to keep face with investors, customers and staff but as skaters inherently know, what goes in the skatepark stays in the skatepark. There is definitely room for more trusted forums for founders to bounce their issues off one another. Places where people can try stuff and fail and get objective feedback from their peers. The inverse is that you carry on alone possibly never making it out of the ‘Struggle’. Give a hand up when you can and you might get one back when you need it most.
No Bullshit
Nobody cares about what tricks you landed in a former life. You are judged on your merit for that day. You can’t talk your way into being a good skater.
There is an inherent BS problem in start-up land with too much talk, not enough action. So much so that shows like the HBO parody ‘Silicon Valley’ have a deserved place in popular media.
Ultimately, running a start-up is a results business. Running your mouth makes no difference. You need good ideas but better execution and there is a lot to be said for just getting things done. Facebook’s original creed of ‘move fast and break things’ is kind of similar to skate fast and try new tricks. You will only be judged for what you achieve. Never for what you aspire to achieve.
Mostly, it’s the other way around though because it’s easier to hide behind plans than it is to expose yourself to failure. This is despite the fact the more you talk about doing something, the less likely you are to do it!
Just like the skating community, the start-up community is typically a tight-knit group of people who are truly passionate about their vocation. It’s a form of escapism from the day to day grind that we feel most of the world adheres to. The lines between job and pastime become increasingly blurred. It’s anti-authoritarian. It’s fun.
It could be so much more with a little encouragement from our peers, a little less fear of falling and a lot less bullshit.
So we kick, push kick, push kick, push kick, push and coast……and the way he roll just a rebel to the world with no place to go
It would be great to hear from you. If you’re into music, feel free to check out @Soundwave. If it’s the chats you’re after, Tweet at me. If you liked this post, please recommend it.
