What I learned about startups from: My first French kiss
Are you passionate about your startup?
In 1982, I went to my first unchaperoned boy/girl party. Technically it was a birthday party for Nancy McKenzie but her parents left the ten of us alone in the basement.
We probably did the normal cake and present opening, but I don’t recall any of that. But I remember the kissing games.
The first one was truth or dare. Everyone said dare and every dare was spending a timed minute in a closet with someone.
When it came to my turn, although I had kissed a girl before, I had no idea how to fill a whole minute so I chose “truth.” After answering some embarrassing question, I immediately regretted my decision. Had I had missed out on something big?
We then moved on to “spin the bottle.” That was more my speed. You spin, a quick kiss and the whole thing is over in a few seconds.
My spin stopped at Nancy. She was very cute but too tall for me so “not my type.” She positioned herself closer to me sitting with her legs crossed.
Her button-up gingham shirt was loose. She leaned her face towards mine. You’re a Rich Girl by Hall and Oates played softly in the background.
Then she gently slipped her tongue against mine and flicked it playfully; the perfect French kiss. Not too rough or too deep. She tasted sweet of chocolate cake and vanilla frosting.
I was delightfully surprised. I didn’t even know such a kiss existed. I got light-headed and the proverbial butterflies tingled my stomach.
My first French kiss lasted a life-changing 30 seconds.
On Friday my friend and I went out for drinks. He is CEO of his startup with software in beta and a brilliant programmer. The app is for better communication between company employees and he’s in the process of selling his first customers.
I admitted to him, “I don’t get the impression you are passionate about your product.” He agreed that he struggles with it. There is always ‘one more thing’ to tweak.
Lessons learned about startups:
- Be passionate about your startup. Don’t waste your life working on something you don’t care about. Passion is infectious.
- Don’t be so passionate that you never launch. Better to launch with flaws. Rarely do you get a perfect first French kiss. Most things take practice. Your customers will tell you what’s important to tweak.
- Give your customer butterflies. My first iPhone did. Flipboard did. Your startup can too.
