Page 99 - 6 Secrets to Startup Success

78 6 SECRETS TO STARTUP SUCCESS

employees’ children and loved ones, giving copies of the por-
traits to each employee for their home use. In addition, every
portrait was hung along a prominent hallway in the headquar-
ters building, creating a mosaic of the faces most important
to the hundreds of people who worked in the home office. It
was a poignant reminder of why most of them came to work
every day. This became a touchstone of the culture and added
perspective and depth to interactions in the building.

9 Enhance your team’s alignment and readiness. Keep in mind
that the principles of founder readiness apply not only to
you, but to everyone else on your team as well. Bob Tucker,
J.C. Faulkner’s business attorney, recalls J.C.’s awareness of
this fact. “He once told me,” Bob says, “that he wanted the
people on his management team to never have felt smarter,
to never have felt more confident or more capable than they
were in their D1 jobs. Anything and everything that could be
done to achieve that outcome he wanted to do.”

9 Find “your people.” This useful concept comes from Pamela
Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation, who has built her
thriving consulting, coaching, and writing practice by attract-
ing people who share her passion and not losing sleep over
people who don’t.16

STRENGTHEN YOUR PASSION

Here are four strategies for fueling a healthy, sustainable enthusiasm
for your new venture:

1. Clear your way. Free up energy by relinquishing old obliga-
tions or time-wasters that no longer align with your startup
priorities.

2. Feed your curiosity. Learn everything you can about your
business concept, the markets you are entering, and the play-
ers and competitors in the industry. The more you learn, the
more confidence and energy you will bring to your founding
role.

American Management Association • www.amanet.org