Do More Faster. Our Next Chapter.
How can you go any faster if you’re going the fastest you can?…
It’s hard to tell you how important everything is… Because everything is important. But I have seen over and over again this past week, that doing one thing really really well will set you a part from the rest. Leading a startup requires you to know everything (within 2–3 lines of extension with your core competency), and yet make sure you don’t trap yourself in that mindset.
On July 24th, FitBliss was formally announced as one of the 10 startup companies accepted into the world’s leading accelerator program, Techstars, specifically named “MetLife’s Digital Accelerator powered by Techstars” as the supporting strategic partner & host is MetLife.
The focus is on disruption of InsurTech. Love it. Insurance needs disruption (see Amazon, Berkshire, JP Morgan).
MetLife’s making the investment in digital transformation to improve engagement with their millions of members globally, and it’s being led by their Chief Digital Officer, Greg Baxter. I had the chance to meet Greg in a 1:1 setting, and I am excited about his strategy with the Techstars Startups aligning with the MetLife Ignite/Innovation teams (more details to come in the near future!).
Which leads me to the next part, Do More Faster. Do More Faster is a book Techstars provided us as we first got to our desks at the MetLife offices (along with some other great swag!).
I’ve listened to the Audible of Do More Faster (by Brad Feld and David Cohen) and now have been at Techstars for 2 full weeks, 1 week of introductions and 1 week of Mentor Madness (the term Techstars uses as you go through 20 hours of Mentorship Speed Dating with incredible minds across various roles, CEOs, Investors, CIOs, Consultants, CTOs, etc.).
The feeling you get after each day is a bit of Mentor Whiplash, with so many ideas thrown in your direction as the hand-picked selected mentors answer your questions, point out flaws of your business, and provide areas they can help you and your team. The point, as mentioned by David Brown, is to help aim your arrow in the direction you should be moving so you can Do More Faster. It makes a lot of sense actually since doing things faster efficiently is impossible when you don’t have a clear direction in where you’re going.
So how do you go faster when you’re going your fastest? Simple. Aim the arrow in the right direction. Go as fast as possible. As I learned during my tenure at Salesforce, it’s about not wasting calories on things unrelated to the direction of the arrow (which has now been fine-tuned).
The results:
1. Emotional Stability. Every founder I know is innately driven and passionate to the point of a potential emotional imbalance.
2. Better Results. Founders know what they’re wanting to get. They are mission-driven individuals.
3. Trusted. After stabilizing the emotion, and providing better results, the team you’re leading trusts in you, giving your team inspiration to persevere together.
4. Confidence. The meetings you have become easier. Your sleepless nights become a bit less sleepless. Your personal relationships are inherently rewarded.
5. Productive. Energy spent feels damn good. Your output is coordinated towards the metric you’ve strived to address for months.
Now, I am only saying this after week 2. Another data point for Techstars to notch in their tagline:
Techstars is the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed.
