It’s easy to imagine that starting a successful company will be a series of exciting, uplifting moments, beginning with everyone you talk to being overjoyed that someone has finally created the thing you’re building.
But. In practice, it’s almost never that way.
Starting a company may be exhilarating. And it may be a lot of fun. But it’s also a journey that in nearly every case includes meaningful hurdles. It’s crucial that you understand that facing doubts from yourself and others is normal. Facing early users who respond with a big “meh”, is normal. Facing people who say what you’re doing has already been done, is normal. Making big mistakes that make it seem like it’s over, is normal.
Even the greatest companies encountered company-ending hurdles, and kept going. Don’t get discouraged when you face them too. Understand that they are your chance to learn more, improve what you’ve got, and go from there.
Resources about this idea:
Here is a podcast from leading VC Mark Maples about the “we’re doomed” moments (he uses a more, uh, colorful term) that ambitious companies very regularly face:
***And here are stories of founders overcoming hurdles from the Founder Toolkit: