10 ms·
If you, as a startup founder, can't authentically and sincerely project energy, excitement and confidence about your idea, then something is either wrong with y
by saddino 13y ago
If you, as a startup founder, can't authentically and sincerely project energy, excitement and confidence about your idea, then something is either wrong with your idea or you are in the wrong business.
- rhizome 13y agoThe problem with this logic is that "energy, excitement and confidence" don't have anything to do with the merits of an idea. An idea can be good without any exhibitions of personality. The tree still falls, after all. However, if expressions about an idea do relate to the quality of that idea, each taken in isolation, what does that say about the concept of meritocracy? That perhaps meritocracy applies only to people and not ideas, and that "meritocracy" in this context has a much narrower definition than a plain reading of the word would suggest.
- gailees 13y agoIt's not about the idea though.
- chrischen 13y agoThe merit of execution is equally important, if not more, and execution will require taking risks, and risk will require confidence.
- rhizome 13y agoSure, but neither are the expressions described components of execution.
- chrischen 13y agoNot all startups are purely technical execution.
- rhizome 13y agoWhat do you mean?
- chrischen 13y agoI mean confidence can be a part of execution... for example, when you are trying to sell a product. Ingenuity, perseverance, etc, are also attributes of execution and they are not strictly technical. In other words, if you just have technology (and we're assuming not groundbreaking patentable-technology), you'll likely fail if you have no perseverance and no ability to convince people why it's useful.
- SkyMarshal 13y agoThe problem is game theory. All startup founders know they stand a better chance if they project energy, excitement, and confidence, and this is very cheap and easy to do, so they all do it. As a result, experienced investors become inured, skeptical of it, and ignore it, knowing it's the easiest thing a founder can fake. They look for signals of more substantial stuff, be it the Three T's (Team, Technology, Traction) or something else. In fact I would argue these days you stand a better chance of distinguishing yourself among investors if you pointedly do not exude energy and excitement at least, but rather sober, quiet confidence, competence, domain expertise, focus, and resolve. That said, his points about actually being confident, and managing your own psychology, are right on.