What I learned about startups from: A heavy night of drinking
Does your startup lack focus?
I didn’t have my first drink until my 30th birthday. I was working at Compaq Computers and my boss Judy Anderson had taken me to dinner. My first was a glass of red wine. I didn’t really like it but was told it was an “acquired taste.”
My dad never drank which was probably the reason I didn’t either. To this day I can’t imagine him even the slightest bit tipsy.
For the next couple years when drinking I stuck to wine. I tried lots of reds and decided Pinot Noir was my favorite. The “acquired taste” part was true. Then I met Gordon Johnson.
Gordon was like the friend you’re supposed to have in college but not an ideal friend for your 30s. He partied. Hard. Everything about Gordon was big — his smile, his attitude, his friendliness, his confidence and his nights of drinking.
We went to the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. The hotel had only been open a couple years and was definitely Gordon’s kind of place. When I tried to order a glass of wine, he wouldn’t have any of it. Red wine was not a proper drink.
Since I never drank cocktails, I had no idea what to drink. Back then I got most of my culture from TV so I ordered a martini like Samantha on “Sex and the City.” I was pretty sure Carrie’s Manhattan was a girly drink.
The night was a blurred, furious, crazy downhill ride from there. I decided to try everything to see what I liked. I mixed Goldschlager shots, gin martinis, vodka martinis, margaritas, rum and even a Manhattan after all.
This was the first time I was ever “drunk” although that is an understatement. Alcohol poisoning is probably more accurate.
I’ve been back to the Hard Rock many times since and much has changed, but the hallway from the Pink Taco restaurant to the men’s room is the same 25 feet.
That night it took me 15 minutes to walk it. And three days to get over the night. I didn’t drink again for 6 months.
Since then I learned what you probably learned at a much younger age:
Don’t mix your drinks
Unbridled drinking isn’t my thing, but on the rare occasion I do, it’s vodka. Seems no matter how much I swallow, I never get sick and I’m never hungover. But add a glass of beer, wine or different liquor to the mix and I suffer hard.
Lessons learned about startups:
- Do one thing and do it really well. Your partners, family, investors might try and pull you in lots of different directions with their take on your business. Ignore them.
- Avoid feature creep. If a feature doesn’t enhance the core value proposition of your business toss it out. You can add it later if necessary once your customers love love love your company.
