Page 13 - 6 Secrets to Startup Success

xii 6 SECRETS TO STARTUP SUCCESS

erate your equipment before the pilot requires you to make your leap.
“You’ll have a lot of company,” he says, “and you’re free to copy what
others are doing.” He points to a fast-moving line of eager customers,
high-fiving each other and congratulating themselves on the thrills
ahead.

You hand over $75, grab a pack, and join the crowd in the belly of
a massive transport plane just as it begins to taxi toward the airport’s
central runway. Within minutes, the plane is airborne.

You are on your way.

m

The above tale may seem far-fetched, especially to anyone familiar
with skydiving safety procedures. But the storyline is common in the
world of entrepreneurship, where enthusiastic founders often plunge
ahead in pursuit of big ideas without adequate awareness or prepa-
ration, where unexamined assumptions and unnecessary risks are
widespread, and where the personal, financial, and professional stakes
of launching a new venture are often exceedingly high. All in a hyped
up, do-it-now atmosphere, fed by startup success stories and a sup-
port industry eager to sell products and services to aspiring entre-
preneurs.

If you are considering your own entrepreneurial leap or have al-
ready taken the plunge, you understand the roller coaster of emotions
and the powerful pull of freedom and excitement that comes with the
commitment to launch a business. For all the challenges faced by new
ventures, a lack of passion is not one of them. Entrepreneurs are true
believers, famously inspired and optimistic. These qualities are criti-
cal, because getting a healthy venture off the ground can be extraor-
dinarily difficult. Successful founders draw from deep wells of
conviction and faith to sustain themselves through long days and un-
expected challenges.

Entrepreneurial passion is more than an internal emotional state.
It is a booming industry, as evidenced by the many books, magazines,
websites, products, and services that cater to the natural connection

American Management Association • www.amanet.org