I’m Breaking Up With My Startup
Check out some tips from Elon Musk below. Founding a startup or working on an idea is like beginning a romantic relationship, for those of you who haven’t heard of that before. Hopefully my experiences will help you in defining your “startup relationship.”
Dating
The process of finding an idea you want to explore. Asking a lot of questions, checking out other ideas simultaneously and putting yourself out there until finding the one worth spending more time with.
Infatuation
Your new idea is the best ever. You stay up all kinds of late and bend over backwards to spend time with your new crush.
First Wall
After roughly a year, reality sets in that this thing has real problems to overcome to make it work. Some find that their relationship is worth going all in, and some decide that it’s not. There’s a bunch of stuff afterwards and you can end up getting married but let’s talk about the breakup part because that’s what I’m personally experiencing.
The Breakup
You can break up because your startup cheated on you or you can leave it for another idea. There was a difference in needs or expectations and doomed from the start. And sometimes emergencies come up and you can’t give the necessary amount of attention.
My startup and I have developed into one of those “we’re more like friends than lovers” relationships. The type where you’re comfortable with one another to the point of complacency. We get each other, we have stuff in common and we hang out most days but the passion isn’t quite there; consequently, my startup and I are holding each other back. Neither of us are allowing the other to grow because we’ve found a place where we’re comfy.
I know how to run our model and processes to make the wheels spin but it doesn’t light my fire. She gives me validation as an entrepreneur but I’m not allowing her to reach her full potential. She wants to run innovation events forever and I want to create educational institutions one day. I’m not willing to give her what she needs to scale and she can’t give me the experience I need to reach my goal.
So, I just kind of want to….be friends. Let her do her thing and cheerlead from the sidelines while allowing her to support me in a backup role. And that’s perfect for us. And maybe you’re thinking about whether or not your work relationship is good for you.
“My favorite breakup article about startups is one that speaks from an entirely personal angle.”
We invest so much in our jobs and our emotional spectrum, at its core, is only so wide. Of course there’s emotional overlap between our work and personal lives and how we deal with the outcomes. Our jobs can be fulfilling and enhancing but they can also be abusive or limiting. The best policy?
Here are some great tips from Elon Musk
Seek advice from your friends that aren’t afraid to tell you something is wrong.
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