Learning from the Mistakes of a 19 Year Old Esports Entrepreneur
Prior to working for TransparentCareer, I had my own company. Ares Esports, a professional gaming team. If you’re unfamiliar, millions of people are willing to watch players compete in video games at the highest level. This article can give you a brief intro if you need further convincing.
I started a team that competed in League of Legends, the most popular esports game. I wanted a piece of the action that had captivated me in high school. Esports combined my love of videogames with my desire to start my own company.
What happened though? This may come as a surprise, but when you give a 19-year-old (with no experience) thousands of dollars to incorporate a company, manage contracts for international talent, and manage a house of other teenagers, it may not go well.
To put a long story short, I had to manage a lot of different things. Take all the pressure of managing a traditional sports team, but also throw in that everyone lives together, and that gamers aren’t used to unique social situations (like living with 8 other people) or team environments (let’s just say these guys weren’t little league stars.)
So, I’m a student once more, and working at TransparentCareer part time. We’re a Chicago-based startup that uses data to help job seekers succeed in career navigation. As opposed to the anecdotal, Yelp-style of Glassdoor, we provide personalized, granular data specifically for the user.
Mitch and Kevin, the cofounders, are much more experienced than I was, and I’m not just saying that because they pay me. I still have ambitions to start another company some day though, and TransparentCareer has prepared me tremendously for my future.
I could go to extensive lengths talking about what I learned and what I can do better next time. What I’d like talk about, and I think the most applicable lesson for any startup founder, is managing expectations and growth.
There’s a cash grab in esports at the moment, especially around League of Legends. Money is pouring in from famous names left and right. If you tell a 19 year old (me) that he can make a League of Legends team and then sell it to the Milwaukee Bucks for $2.5 million, you bet he’s going to try.
You can imagine that the grandiose sets in quickly. I had already made quite the leap that year, from college freshman to a highly coveted coaching position in Los Angeles. There was no reason for me to think that this wasn’t the next logical step in my blockbuster success story (obviously there’s going to be a movie based on my story, with Jon Hamm receiving an Oscar for his portrayal of me.)
TransparentCareer has quite the contrary view of success and growth. Everyone in tech always talks about finding the next Uber, or Airbnb, as if that’s the norm. Sure, everyone wants to make billions off of a gamble (let’s be real: investing in most startups is nothing more than a stab in the dark) but new companies should be much more realistic.
Kevin and Mitch are very reasonable with the expected growth of TransparentCareer. It’s much better to grow on a schedule. Pouring gasoline on a fire can be fun (we’ve all done that, right?) but it can get out of hand quickly.
TransparentCareer might not be a billion dollar company. It doesn’t have to be, and there’s nothing wrong with that. They’ve showed me through the writing of Jason Fried (whom I’ve come to learn is our office’s personal savior) that by growing realistically, you get to be in control of your success.
The lesson I’ve learned? Manage your expectations. Don’t strive to be a billion dollar business, strive to be your business. One that makes your customers and users happy. You can take on all of the outside money in the world, but it doesn’t mean a thing if you never solve problems for real people. Set reasonable goals, and meet them.
Just because you don’t reach that $1B valuation doesn’t mean you’re unsuccessful, or that you won’t be happy. Isn’t it better to have your own company with complete control, or blow up and answer to someone else. Wouldn’t you rather be portrayed by Mark Ruffalo and make a good movie, than portrayed by Jon Hamm and get frozen in pre production?
Hauk Nelson is a student by day, and also an intern during the same day. He is still an avid gamer, much to the chagrin of his parents and friends. He manages email marketing, content creation, and sales prospecting at TransparentCareer. You can reach him at HaukNelson@gmail.com
