You Have No Limits When You’re An Entrepreneur.
CRAIG SLAGEL: FOUNDER OF RUNGO
Craig Slagel is the founder of RunGo, the first navigation app that guides runners on different routes through turn-by-turn voice navigation. With 17 years of running experience running and 30+ marathons and 90+ ultra marathons under his belt, Craig decided to combine his passion for running with his tech background.
Craig shared with me the story of one of his personal accomplishments that he was most proud of: a 330 km ultramarathon he completed in the Italian Alps.
During the race, he was told 3 times that he wasn’t going to make it to the next checkpoint. Determined to complete what he started, he eventually finished the race in 6 and a half days…3rd from last.
The journey of a startup is like an ultramarathon. Success will not greet you immediately. It’s a tough grind where challenges, rejection, and failures are inevitable. There will be times where you want to give up. Like Craig who was told that he wasn’t going to make it, people are going to doubt your abilities and say your startup product isn’t good enough. It’s easy to get beat down by the lack of progress and support.
With grit, a relentless spirit, and an unwavering vision, you too will be able to complete your own startup ultramarathon.
Placing 3rd last may not have been the ideal ending Craig was hoping for, but it was an amazing accomplishment to be celebrated. Don’t forget to celebrate your mini successes along the way.
1. Running a startup is a learning process.
When you run a company, you have to do a bit of everything. There will be things that you’ve never done before that may be out of your comfort zone. Take this opportunity as a time to grow and explore.
RunGo didn’t start off as a navigation app. From the beginning, Craig’s vision was to create something that combined his love for running and his technical talents. He began with a running game which had little success. Craig wasn’t demotivated by this failure. Instead, he decided to try played around with different iterations and ideas eventually led to RunGo.
2. Believe in your product (and yourself) 100%.
Don’t become an entrepreneur because you want to make money, find something you’re truly passionate about. Find a problem that you want to solve or a product that you want to create.
Other people are going to tell you your idea is stupid, that it’s bad and it will fail. You have to be so passionate and confident about your product that those criticisms won’t stop you from reaching your vision.
3. As an entrepreneur, you have no limits.
You can go wherever you want to go, that is if you’re willing to make sacrifices. What you put in is what you get out.
Hey I’m Celine, Content Creator for Launch Academy and a 3rd year marketing student at the Sauder School of Business of the University of British Columbia. Follow me as I share my conversations with local entrepreneurs.
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