6 Ways Launching a Tech Startup is Like Running your First Marathon
As we approach the launch of Whiteboard, I had a realization that there is a lot in common when it comes to building a product and running your first marathon. Both are extremely tough as well as equally rewarding when you accomplish them.
Here is a list of the six things launching a tech startup has in common with running your first marathon.
Be prepared and pace yourself
As with running a marathon, launching a startup takes preparation. A lot of it. It is best to be surrounded by individuals that can coach you and help you navigate the waters. It is also smart to get your feet wet with other startups to get an understanding of what it is like and what to expect. Starting a tech venture without being prepared will most likely lead to severe pain or failure. Building a startup isn’t like running a fun run or 5k where you can get up one day and run, this is a marathon.
Once you to start the journey, you want to be sure to pace yourself. You don’t want to come out of the gate too fast thinking the faster you run, the faster you will reach the finish. You will end up burning yourself out and end up not finishing the race. By pacing yourself, you will have the focus and energy to handle the situations that you run into as well obtaining a complete understanding how to best position your product in the marketplace. As they say, ‘haste makes waste’.
It is a physical challenge as well as a mental challenge
You are going to be challenged physically from the amount of hours of the day, every day of the week that you are going to put into it as well as being presented with one of the hardest mental challenges you have ever experienced in your life. It is an emotional rollercoaster. You will experience extreme highs and low.
You are putting everything you have, and making so many scarifies, into something that you don’t know the outcome of. There will be times you will want to throw in the towel because you are mentally worn out. This is where you must have the endurance and perseverance to ensure that you get to the end of the race. Condition yourself to stay grounded when your head is in the clouds and pick yourself up when you are in the trenches.
It will take longer than anticipated
When you first start your venture, you set goals for when you want to launch that you believe are obtainable. Then you start the ‘race’ and you quickly realize that what you got yourself into is going to a lot longer than you initially anticipated.
As you get closer to the ‘finish line’ you hit the runners wall where you feel like you are barely moving and it gets harder and harder to make progress. The last 10% is harder than the previous 90%, yet that is where you go from half-baked to a fully baked product. You have to push yourself to your limits not knowing if you have enough juice in the tank to get your across the finish line.
Be sure to enjoy the moment
The big picture of what you are wanting to accomplish can be daunting. When you are only focused on getting to the finish line, you will either rush and ship a product that doesn’t provide value to anyone or you will feel as if it cannot be obtained. It’s not just about getting to the finish line as fast as possible as much as it is about the experience and what you gain along the way.
Take time to enjoy the moment and relish in the small wins or you will never make it to the finish line. It will give you and your team a boost as well as making the big picture easier to consume.
Not everyone reaches the finish line
With marathons it’s common for people to disqualify themselves from the race because of injuries or just being flat out exhausted. The same goes with launching tech ventures. There are so many that die on the side of the road before they even make it to the consumer’s hands. This can be caused by a number of things from poor relationships amongst founding team members to outside influences that prevent it from happening.
Take your time in assembling the team of individuals you want to work with. Be sure you conduct as much due diligence to ensure that your product will reach its goal and be successful. Mitigate as much of the risk as possible that you are in control of, prepare for the rest to the best of your ability.
It isn’t meant for everyone
In the times where being a founder of a tech startup is as attractive as being a rock-star in the 80’s, launching a tech venture is not easy nor is everyone cut out for it, as with running a marathon. You must be ready mentality and physically for the long haul. You will get tons of blisters, it will be painful at times to a point that you don’t know if you can finish but when you make it to the end, it is one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.
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