Comments on: Back on the Rollercoaster

By: 5 Online Writers that Changed the Way I Think

5 Online Writers that Changed the Way I Think — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 07:41:55 +0000

[...] this question very eloquently – in short, it really doesn’t matter (although I have argued elsewhere that it does matter a little). As someone who has built and sold at least one successful business, [...]

By: Masha Petrova

Masha Petrova — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:09:49 +0000

Hi Steve,

Good post! So good to hear that I am not alone on the emotional entrepreneurial rollercoaster.
I was in the pessimism stage when I wrote this post:
http://successfulunemploymenttoolkit.com/want-to-work-for-yourself-%E2%80%93-be-prepared-for-an-emotional-rollercoaster/

Thanks for sharing!
Masha

By: ibagrak

ibagrak — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:56:07 +0000

Well put. Going through some of these cycles right now. .-= ibagrak´s last blog ..On private joys of ownership =-.

By: stevew

stevew — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:10:53 +0000

Rui – thanks for your honest feedback – I suspect the critical mass question will be an issue for me in due course, and you always wonder how long you have to stick with something before it begins to get traction. I wish you every success with your ABSE initiative!

By: stevew

stevew — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:57:54 +0000

Thanks for the feedback Mark. I think the last point is particularly interesting – assuming you’re not in imminent danger of running out of cash, for each day that passes, your odds of long-term survival climb, non-linearly I would argue. It would be very interesting to do a study on that subject – people argue that survivor bias can be misleading, but perhaps this is one area where it works to your advantage…

By: Rui Curado

Rui Curado — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:15:43 +0000

This is a quite revealing post and I can say I've been riding the rollercoaster for some time. Especially if your startup involves the creation of new concepts. If you look at my startup at http://www.isomeris.com, you'll find three projects that are actually concepts in their very essence. This brings an additional doubt to your equation which is the fear of others not adopting your concept: - Will they like it? - Will they *want* it? - Will they pay for it? Then it brings more doubts if the concept needs critical mass... - Will this have enough traction? - What will I do if it fails to get traction? Kill it? Downgrade it? Change course? Today, regarding my current project, I am slightly above the red line in your graph, nearing the "Informed Optimism". I start to feel great now, with a sense of achievement, but I've been down in the s*it for several times... .-= Rui Curado´s last blog ..The Hidden Costs of Domain-Specific Languages =-.

By: Mark Dalgarno

Mark Dalgarno — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:36:04 +0000

Very useful Steve.

I’ve certainly stalled a few times but find a few things help:

- Like you, a realisation that I’ve acquired lots of unique, valuable experience along the way
- Reflecting on the huge amounts of good things we have actually achieved in the short life of our company
- Drawing on a large support network that we’ve built both locally and internationally
- Realising others are in the same boat
- Not being afraid that we might fail, as you say – what’s the worst that can happen?
- Celebrating successes, no matter how small
- Learning from failures – being better prepared to address future challenges.
- Realising that the longer we’re around in business the longer we’re likely to be around in future

Mark