Lessons from the Startup Front… Let the Games Begin!

By Danielle On November 6, 2006 Under Branding, Business, Marketing

Désolé, je ne parle pas vraiment français. Parlez-vous anglais?

To say I didn’t speak the language when I started out as an entrepreneur is, ummm, a bit of an understatement. The naked truth is that when I threw myself headfirst into the business arena I had the passion of a zealot and the knowledge of a newborn. Tabula raisa. That’s how much I knew. Nada. Zip. Squat. Zéro absolu. I’m talkin’ nuthin.

Although I had been self-employed for a few years, I’d managed to exist on word of mouth and a couple of long-term contracts, so I didn’t even understand the basics of advertising, promotion or selling. Otherwise known as the M word: Marketing. Coming from a corporate background, “Marketing” to me meant the department down the hall that was stuffed full of posters, banners, and lots of bouncy bright things waving around. This was the home of the hip folk who were always dashing out to flash functions.

I’m a little more clued up about the role of marketing these days, and from where I stand now, I firmly believe the experts who say that marketing will make you or break you. But there’s a lot more to the picture for a startup than just marketing. Behind the scenes and beneath the surface it can be bedlam – especially when you’re a stranger in a foreign land. If you’re just starting out, and feeling a tad disoriented or confused, here’s some of my lessons to date that may help.

First Up, Scrap “Perfect”

I nearly gave myself ulcers trying to get the “look and feel” of my brand and the customer experience perfect from day one. Mainly because I wanted my product and service to be the best version of itself, but also because I didn’t think customers would ever go for anything less than perfect. This was a mistake. People actually don’t care if you’re not perfect – for the most part. Don’t get me wrong, they will still give you feedback and tell you what they think (which is good), but those who want your product or service will still buy it, even if they perceive that you are not “fully polished”. Don’t do your head in trying to make it perfect right off the bat – there’s too many things you cannot know or foresee until you hit the market. Make it functional and presentable, and tweak and improve as you go. The market, along with your own intuition, will guide you.

Allow Your Brand to Breathe

Another reason not to sweat every detail straight up is that brands evolve. Like humans, they aren’t born as adults. What I’m finding now is that it’s all starting to fall into place naturally. Through impacting with customers, my brand is starting to evolve, and I’m moving with it, refining as I go. Many parts of my brand puzzle still aren’t in place, and that does frustrate me, but I’m finding the right pieces one by one. Gradually, the picture is manifesting before my eyes.

Don’t Be Afraid to Stuff Up

If you’re going to start a business, and you’ve never done it before, you’ll need to get used to the idea that you will stuff up and you will get egg on your face occasionally. Trust me on this one! And it’s a very good thing. That’s not to say that it isn’t painful – it is of course, both to your ego and to your pocket.

But my personal feeling is that so many people try so hard not to stuff up that they never get the good fruit hanging way out on the limbs. Not to mention that they miss out on being alive. I saw this a lot in the corporate sector. No-one ever wanted to take a chance because they didn’t want to risk failing, or looking like they didn’t know exactly what they were doing. So they never went out on any limbs, they never put their toe in unfamiliar water, and they certainly never spoke from their heart. Effectively, these folk just get in line and follow the herd, mimicking each other’s behaviour professionally and socially. This is not living. These people are robots. And if you do this in business, you may still succeed, but you’re going to be very, very ordinary. They say that courage and stupidity are often a whisker apart. Sometimes it’s very hard to know where that line is, but if you never test it, you’ll never know.

The most interesting people I’ve ever known have been those who have stuffed up big time, both professionally and personally. Sometimes stuff-ups are just a case of stupidity or ignorance (and I have personal experience in both), but in essence they occur simply because someone was willing to put themselves on the line. Willing to take a chance, to explore, and to test boundaries that others stay well away from. The biggest stuffer-upperers are leaders. They are the ones who blaze a trail for others to follow, and are very often the ones who succeed big. So go forth and stuff up.

Remember that life is meant to be a journey, not a series of events in which you feel safe and look good.

“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

You Are the Message

Do you want to change the world? You do? Good on ya!!

Under all the frivolity, my business message happens to be about encouraging better communication, so I try to be mindful to do the best I can to live it myself.

Did you know that poor communication is the number one reason why relationships fail? It’s not surprising when you think about it, because communicating effectively is difficult. Poor communication is also a major problem in business, and I saw the effects of it over and over in the corporate sector. Put your hand up if you’ve ever seen this problem at work.

If your budding enterprise has an element of “change the world” ideology, then before you set out on your noble endeavour, you need to ask yourself: am I willing to put myself on the line? Do I have the courage of my convictions to live my message? – and take all the consequences that come with that? You can’t bring a message to the world and not live it yourself. You are the message, so you need to live your ideology. And as in most things, that’s easier said than done.

Seek Out Like-Minded Souls

In this 21-month journey I’ve met some amazing people, many who have shown up at the most incredible moments. Forget the whole networking aspect, these people are a life-line to your sanity! In all seriousness, other intrepid souls are terrific sources of empathy, energy and inspiration.

Last week I went along to a networking event and happened to meet two other women entrepreneurs. To date I’ve found this fairly rare, and they too, so before long we were gushing all over each other swapping (horror) stories and basking in each other’s company. When Angela told me she was often up til 2am in the morning, testing, playing, and researching, I thought, oh goodie…another nutter!! I have to give a shout out to this lovely young woman, because you just gotta admire a mother of two young children starting a business from scratch while also finding time to help her husband with his business. Angela sets modest goals such as meeting Richard Branson – and achieves them! Check out her lovely range of organic, soy-based products at Soapsational.

Along the way I’ve met some truly wonderful people who have made my journey that much more special. They have touched my heart for a number of reasons, not the least of which is because they’re out there having a go.

You Are the Engine

As a fledgling entrepreneur it’s easy to underestimate the toll it can take on your body. Maybe I’m an exception, but I doubt it. Keep in mind that as well as being the captain, you are the engine, so don’t forget to maintain your oil and water levels. It sounds very basic, but it’s really, really easy to overlook. And before you know it, you’re a physical wreck.

Earlier this year I was feeling the stress of both the creative process and the ready-for-market decisions and tasks. It felt like every muscle in my body was at war, so I treated myself to a massage. Needing an outlet, I unloaded my story on my masseur, who fortunately seemed to enjoy it. Before I left, she looked earnestly at me and said, “all you have to do is just trust and look after yourself”. Her words played over and over in my mind, and I realised it was because they had real significance for me.

Trust: If you don’t believe 100% in your idea and actively work at maintaining that belief and that sense of certainty, then you’re setting yourself up for failure. There WILL be times of doubt – I’ve had many “moments” where I’ve just thought, “what on Earth am I doing?” These moments can make you go cold. And they feel very, very scary. When that happens, firstly – breathe! I just take a moment to ride it out, then I re-focus on keeping the end result in mind, and before long I’m back on the rails chugging along. Going by my own experience, issues around trust and faith will play out in your mind quite often, so it’s really important to develop strategies to deal with that. Like working any muscle, over time the trust and the faith gets stronger, and doubt recedes.

If you haven’t already seen it, get your hands on The Secret. Awesome.

Look After Yourself: Physically, in the last nine months I’ve had periods where I’ve been very rundown. Honestly, sometimes it feels like I’ve done nine months straight at boot camp. I’ve been astounded at the physical impact on my body from all the hard mental work, long hours and stress. And on top of that is the issue of eating healthily and regularly. Meal times became a nuisance to me, and consequently, my health suffered because of it. I sometimes joke that I need a wife. To this day I struggle with preparing healthy meals and eating when I need to, purely because of time pressures. Watch this. It’s so easy to form bad habits around not eating right and not getting adequate exercise, and you will spiral downward because of it. It will also make you much less productive.

I actually wrote out what that very sweet masseur said to me and stuck it on my office wall. Now Tara’s wise words are there to remind me on a daily basis.

The main method I use to “look after myself” is simple, but it works. Because my days often blend into each other – not only because of the long hours, but because I can’t stop thinking about my business – my “mental breaks” are few and far between. The best way I manage this is to ensure that I have some “me” time every day. I am very fortunate to live in a particularly lovely part of the world, with a very temperate climate (for which I am very grateful), so I start my day with a long walk, stopping along the way at my “special” places. I find this time out highly regenerating.

The other simple and easy thing I do is to look for inspiration. I have filled almost one wall of my office with words of wisdom that ring true for me. Often I just stop and look up, and wherever my eyes land, I get a little “boost”. I also hone in on snippets of info from here there and everywhere. Sometimes I pop over for a visit with our own Coach Kammie who always has something insightful, thoughtful and inspiring to say.

If you don’t already have them, find your own unique methods for keeping your engine well oiled. Cultivate them into habits. They will serve you well.

But Are We Having Fun Yet?

“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” – Dale Carnegie

Years ago I worked in a department that operated on “Level Frantic” most of the time. One thing I’ll never forget about that job was my manager’s special knack of calming the air when everyone was just about to completely lose it. Right at the point when things would get just beyond ridiculous, she would look up with a “how-insane-is-this?” expression and say mischievously, “but are we having fun yet?”. We cracked up every time. Laughing at your situation is the best medicine. And laughing at yourself is often damn good entertainment. (Well, it is for me!)

If you’re on the startup trail, the one thing you will have to get accustomed to is stress – in every variety and flavour! Very little will go according to plan, and just when you think you can’t take any more, something else will go wrong. So you really need to love what you’re pursuing, and be able to have fun amidst the mania. Even by yourself!

For me the highs and lows have been dramatic. I’ve never felt this alive. You should see the carry on when something goes right!! And hang in there, because eventually, with enough persistence, things will start going right – and then you’ll really have the last laugh! I read this one on Troy Worman’s tasty little blog OrbitNow!

“This I do know beyond any reasonable doubt. Regardless of what you are doing, if you pump long enough, hard enough and enthusiastically enough, sooner or later the effort will bring forth the reward.” – Zig Ziglar

Practice, Practice, Practice…

I think it’s easy to make the mistake of thinking that going into business is all about making lots of money and having the freedom to call the shots. If only it were that simple. Nowadays I take my hat off to successful businesses, because I now know the effort and level of complexity that goes into building them. (But don’t fret pet – it is do-able!)

What fascinates me about this whole startup experience is that every day is a journey into unchartered waters, both for myself personally, and for this “entity” that I am creating. Every day I’m building muscle where I need it: decision making, confidence, foreseeing possible problems, and spotting real opportunities. With all this practice, practice, practice, perhaps I’m even gaining some l’intelligence commerciale?

And you will too!

from the Front,
Danielle

P.S. Apologies to any French readers for any possible misuse of the French language…I don’t actually speak a word of French! Except if you count my name