VCinJerusalem

As Determined As A Turtle: Start-Ups Need to Stick To It!

Yesterday, in one of my first mid-week bike rides of the almost-Spring season (officially Spring starts here after Pesach [Passover]) I was thinking to myself how good it was that  I was able to  jump out of the office and into nature, getting in a 1.5 hour ride between conference calls (I don't eat lunch, so have that "extra"  time in the middle of the day....). And of course, like my virtual friend Richard Dale of Venture Cyclist fame, thinking about how my biking weaves its way into thinking about start-up life.

Just as I was musing about how start-up entrepreneurs need to be absolutely dedicated to their cause/company, but still need to stay sane and get fresh air by enjoying nature, I came across this fellow:

Yes, it was a turtle crossing the road (and thank God not a well traveled road, friendly to bikers as well as turtles). That turtle was moving as fast as he could, determined to cross that road (because there is always something better on the other side). Did not matter to the turtle the risk involved, he was forging ahead. Now, truth be told, like any good start-up story, he also had some luck--my friend Robby Berman , who inspired me to ride with him in the middle of the workday, could not bear the thought that after us might come a car, and picked up the turtle and moved him beyond the yellow line...Because with all the dedication in the world, without some luck and helping hands you could end up as roadkill.

Moral of the story: even the turtle realized that he needed to take a chance, enjoy the first hints of Spring, and hope for some luck. May we all be turtles in our own way.

Energy AND Skill...

In the early days of a start-up an almost inexhaustible amount of energy is required from all involved -- it is a journey of complete dedication, certainly not a 9-5 life. But energy alone will not a company make -- a healthy dosage of skill is required as well.

I was reminded of this while playing squash today with my good friend Gideon Ben-Zvi -- Gideon is a much better squash player than me, even though my energy level is probably a bit higher level than his....because his skill quotient more than trumps my energy.

Gideon is exploring some fascinating new ways to be involved in start-ups, and I will let him decide at what pace to make those plans (and realities) known to the wider public. Simply put, however, Gideon is a wonderful combination of skill and energy, both off the court and on. As a start-up CEO Gideon certainly puts in the hours, but most importantly invests his time (=energy) smartly.

Next week I will be accompanying the mPortico team to the CES trade show in Las Vegas, which will be a intense energy experience, but if that energy is not focused, could easily spend three days chasing our own tails (which when you think about it, is actually the whole point of Las Vegas...).

There is no magic formula to the correct energy/skill balance, but like any sport requiring skill (most of them, unfortunately for us semi-spastic people) some of that skill can be acquired. Note I say "some," as I do believe one needs to have the right DNA to be an a successful entrepreneur. Yes, you need to be born with it -- and  need to spend a lifetime honing the skills and stamina to go the distance with a start-up.

Now if I could only figure out the time management piece, I could increase my skill level so that my energy/skill combination will allow me to finally beat Gideon...;-).