Three Skills You Need To Direct A Start-up
When you love your work, success will not only come but a smile will too!
The number of skills you need to possess in your toolbelt to succeed as a founder, business owner, or entrepreneur is vast. Yet, in my eyes, there is a superior three that will propel your startup. Those being a person with a vision, a passion, and little bit of grit.
These three, enacted in a meaningful manner, will propel any startup. Your vision will be the vehicle. Your passion is the fuel. Your grit is your tool. With any vision, you need passion to push it. What happens when your vision is “breaking down”? You use grit to fix it. These three together can drive over any obstacle.
1) Vision, The Vehicle To Success
2) Passion, The Fuel For Vision
3) Grit, The Tool To Keep You Going
Vision, The Vehicle To Success
No one believes in the vision, unless you show them otherwise.
The vision is the meeting place between your goals and aspirations. It is where you want your business to be at some point in the future. You cannot just define the vision, you must sell it. Like any other skill, clear presentation and selling of the vision can be learned and improved. Clarity, enthusiasm, and attainment are three things that define a great vision.
I call vision “the vehicle to success” because it will give you purpose and direction to lead to opportunities. Just like a vehicle, it is important to know that the vision is allowed to change.
The is most exemplified in the example of Groupon. Formerly known as The Point, the Groupon functionality was used as a side part of the business. It wasn’t until mediocre performance with the original company that led to the pivot and focuses on Groupon. Just like Groupon, your best business idea might be the outcome of chasing your current vision. So make sure you have the passion to make it there!
Passion, The Fuel For Vision
“I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein
Not only will passion become a positive force in your work life, but it also improves many other areas of your life! You become more happy, leading to better relationships and an overall optimistic view of life.
Not only will passion become a positive force in your work life, but it also improves many other areas of your life! You become more happy, leading to better relationships and an overall optimistic view of life.
Passion, much like fuel in the real world, is a very valuable commodity.It can turn your day-to-day into an excitement for the next day. Passion will help you avoid the feeling of monotony at work. It will help you prioritize improving your time management skills. It even helps you keep going when you feel like throwing in the towel! Passion will fuel any vision you choose to follow.
Grit, The Tool To Keep You Going
The right tool in the wrong hands is as good as putting a middle schooler in the NBA. It’ll do more damage than good.
Grit is the ability to stand confidently in the face of challenges, setbacks, and distractions. Even through hits to the business, you will be able to see past them. You can show grit through consistent efforts due to your motivations and inner beliefs.
The most important reason grit is a super tool to direct a startup is because it protects the passion and enhances the vision. A tool within you to further the startup. Founding a startup is a lonely, challenging journey filled with self-doubt. Enhanced focus, boosted confidence, enhanced productivity and remarkable stamina are the benefits of grit.
Conclusion
Directing a startup is one of the most enjoyable and stressful activities anyone can undertake.
The phrase “love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life” is misleading. You’ll actually work more!
Once you know how to sell your vision, you will have a vehicle to success. Yet, a vehicle without fuel cannot go anywhere. That is where passion and its energizing power bring to any vision That does not mean there will not be mountainous obstacles that will not show. They surely will. Grit will be the tool to protect the vision through the long journey.