Being a first-time bootstrapper, I am striving very hard to minimize financial exposure. However, this means that I had to convince my cofounders and team to work for free; or rather, they agreed to join because they believe in the vision and for the learning experience and journey rather than for immediate monetary compensation.
Although they admittedly joined on happily and believe in our potential, I do struggle with doubt and accountability to them. The article seems to emphasize the mental strain caused by blows to self confidence or finances, which can certainly be crippling and terrifying.
However, by minimizing financial exposure and trying to keep a perspective that protects self-confidence, those are less of a concern to me compared to facing the possibility of failing my friends who contributed their time freely and signed on to what was originally my vision.
The pressure and anxiety over prospect of disappointing the friends who became teammates based on their belief in you and your vision seems hard to avoid. To be blessed by forgiving loved ones, friends, and teammates is priceless and the articles recommendation to "Most important, make time for your loved ones...Don't let your business squeeze out your connections with human beings...When it comes to fighting off depression, relationships with friends and family can be powerful weapons." resonates the most.
This really rings true for me. I literally found out today that my co-founder is quitting so he can have a better lifestyle. I'm glad he was honest with me and I don't harbor ill feelings but it definitely is making me feel very alone. I'm not sure if I should give up and get a day job or continue on my own. I feel like taking a job would just cement my failure but maybe that has already happened. Anyway, this article was pretty timely for me. I think I'll be scheduling some lunches with friends who I can vent to and try not to keep it all in.
> I really wish, as a culture, we celebrated honesty as much as bravery.
But if we did that, we would have nothing to celebrate. Everyone lies, but not everyone is brave. I invite you to divide bravery by honesty, but watch out for a divide by zero error.
Interesting. Admittedly it gets hard with employees, investors and markets, which are all prone to emotional decisions. But I think we're messing with our happiness if we conflate bravery with false courage. Courage/Bravery isn't about denying fear, it's about not letting fear lead to bad decisions.
Although they admittedly joined on happily and believe in our potential, I do struggle with doubt and accountability to them. The article seems to emphasize the mental strain caused by blows to self confidence or finances, which can certainly be crippling and terrifying.
However, by minimizing financial exposure and trying to keep a perspective that protects self-confidence, those are less of a concern to me compared to facing the possibility of failing my friends who contributed their time freely and signed on to what was originally my vision.
The pressure and anxiety over prospect of disappointing the friends who became teammates based on their belief in you and your vision seems hard to avoid. To be blessed by forgiving loved ones, friends, and teammates is priceless and the articles recommendation to "Most important, make time for your loved ones...Don't let your business squeeze out your connections with human beings...When it comes to fighting off depression, relationships with friends and family can be powerful weapons." resonates the most.