Startup CEO, 2nd Edition

Chapter 45Staying Fresh

Staying fresh has always been about three related things: staying mentally fresh for work, staying healthy, and making sure I have enough time for myself that's not about work. All of this plays into what Stephen Covey calls “Sharpening the Saw,” in his books The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and The Eighth Habit – both worth reading.

Managing the Highs and Lows

I was reminded recently of one of my favorite entrepreneur sayings: What drives me nuts isn't the inevitable presence of highs and lows of running a new company; it's when they happen at the same time.

It's one thing to get used to the roller coasterride of running a startup. That's part of the fun and the challenge of it all. There are great moments when everything's working beautifully. Your strategy is proving to be spot‐on. Your team is executing brilliantly. Your biggest client renews and gives you a testimonial. Then there are the dark moments of despair. You're running out of cash. The new product release is behind schedule. A competitor steals a top client. No one lives for the lows but you at least grow to anticipate them and realize that “this, too, shall pass.”

The thing I can never get used to is when those highs and lows occur simultaneously. It just seems unfair. Let me enjoy the good news – whatever it is – for at least a day or two before clocking me with something terrible! But perhaps that's just another, even more poignant part of the humbling process that comes ...