It’s All About The Hustle
by John Hill, Network Catalyst at Techstars
Five years ago, I moved on to LinkedIn from Michigan State University, which proved to be an immense learning curve. Everyone was smarter than me. Everyone moved quicker. The only advantage I could muster was hustle. And hustle I did. Three years ago, a move to Techstars meant being behind the curve again — A-list players abounded, an organizational role there was a stretch for even the seasoned. Again, hustle helped me stay afloat. That’s my story.
Ten years ago, Techstars started in Boulder, helping to define an industry. In the last decade, those efforts have helped 100 companies exit, added 1,000 companies to the portfolio and those companies created 10,000 jobs. That’s our story.
In the Techstars network, the underlying theme of success I’ve seen from founders, mentors, network partners, and investors is hustle. Here’s some advice from them to you:
David Mandell (PivotDesk CEO and Techstars alumni in Boulder, CO)
Early stage startups have two advantages: Focus and Hustle. If you’re attacking an entrenched industry, odds are, they’ve lost that sense of urgency or hustle a while back. Hustle is the only way to leverage your strength against them.
The real value that hustle brings to the table is moving quickly against very specific goals. That’s why without focus, hustle is a waste. Entrepreneurs need to have a very specific, prioritized goal for the business over the short term to make sure that everyone is moving in the same direction, against the same goals. Once that’s clear, then hustle.
Ty Danco (Techstars Director in Boston, MA)
For me evaluating companies, the biggest indicator for success is work ethic. When an entrepreneur answers my email questions quickly and carefully regardless of if they are sent late at night or early in the morning, it tells you something. That combination of work ethic, grit, and ability to follow through always seems to be followed by that “lucky” break that winners magically seem to get.
Stephanie Agresta (The Virago Group Co-Founder in New York City, NY)
Every entrepreneur knows that to win, you have to hustle. If you are good, you are always optimizing and getting to a place where you are doing something more important — hustling effectively. Your friends are the most important resource for you when you are hustling. Don’t be afraid to ask them for support when you need it most. Hustle outside of work as much as you do at work. It’s important to integrate more into life than just work.
Dhani Jones (Qey Capital Partners Chairman in Cincinnati, OH)
Hustle is all I know, even when people say you are working too hard. If you’re not working you’re waiting, and they say opportunities wait for no one. As a CEO of a company, you have to be willing to do whatever.
Gene Murphy (Entrepreneur In Residence, Bank of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland)
It’s not about running continuously, it’s about being tactical. Yes it’s about working hard, but to be fair it’s as much as knowing when to cut your losses and move on. For what it’s worth, if you don’t have hustle in your team then get some ASAP. When building a startup, your one true resource you can call on are the crazy folks that have stepped into this plan with you for that reason. Teams need that skill of working hard to get in front of customers, get sales, and get growing as a company.
Max Kelly (Techstars Managing Director in London, England)
One of things that is a real issue with most founders, especially with a technical background, is not picking up the phone and not going to see customers. Get speaking to clients. Understand customers. Make them your champions. Really hustle your way in.
So there you have it. There will always be those who will be more credentialed, more educated, better connected than you at all stages. But the one thing you can control is the hustle.
