Sticktoitiveness

If it were easy, everyone would do it.

I've heard that calloused catch-phrase plenty in my life, but never has it rung more true or appropriately than after encountering the difficulties of launching a startup. If it isn't one thing, it's surely going to be another. Partnerships go sour, marketing efforts prove unproductive, coordination between team members becomes edgy, funding withers.

Then there are the victories that keep you going. A game of golf comes to mind. A triple digit round filled with frustration and muttered curse words is easily overshadowed by one or two perfectly executed shots, where the club struck the ball exactly as you hoped it might, and your eyes followed its smooth and even trajectory as it gracefully descended toward its target.

The important thing is to have faith in the product. If you have a thorough understanding and commensurate confidence in your company's potential, the requisite stumbling blocks feel fleeting. Even when they pile up enough to make you re-analyze enerything you thought you once believed, my message is to persevere. [Within reason, of course. The "Stay the Course" mantra has been known to have its downfalls when employed outside of the realms of sanity.]

The catch that invariably exists is this: if the product or service is innovative, there will be an inevitable pushback until adoption, resulting in countless frustrations and difficulties that hinder launch. If the offering is not innovative, then you're shackled by a pre-existing marketplace and competitors.

So, when you start sending in those applications to grad school, lunging for stability and almost certain that your company's fate has been sealed, hold out for a few extra days. It can make all the difference.