Day One of The Second year of your Startup

Remember Day One of your new startup?

You jumped out of bed, kissed your wife on your way to work, and ran into the office ready to conquer the world.

That seems like a long, long time ago doesn't it?

It's now Day One of Year Two. Today you didn't jump out of bed because you were sleeping at your desk. You responded (3 hours later) to a text message your wife sent you asking if you were going to make it home tonight. You're not worrying about conquering the world today anymore, you're worried about how you're going to pay your mortgage tomorrow.

What the hell happened?

The Road is Longer than it Appears

The first mistake you made was convincing yourself and those around you that it would only be tough for a year. Startups take a long time to become successful, and even though you may read about one that grew quickly, most do not.

    You need to recalibrate.  Set your horizons for a 3-year window, not a 12 month window.  

Realize that it may be longer than that. It's a startup career, not a startup project.

Spend Less Now

If you were like most, you tried to maintain your lifestyle while you eased into your startup world. That doesn't happen. That's like trying to go camping and bitching about not having Air Conditioning in your tent. You're in the wild, you need to rough it.

To do that, you need to cut every last expense you have, and then cut some more.

    If you haven't figured it out by now, I can tell you first hand that things are going to get worse (financially) before they get better.  

It's time to trade down into a cheaper car, refinance the house (think: "interest only"), and put the kibosh on any idea of a vacation. It's not in the cards.

Remember Why You're Here

You're not giving up your social life for a paycheck. When you started this company it was about more than just a big check (right?).

    You started this company because you were passionate about blazing your own trail.  You're doing it right now, and it's hard.  But don't forget why you made this decision.

Remember today that you're not listening to your idiot boss make horrible decisions and hide in his bureaucratic bunker. You're not working like a slave to make some CEO who doesn't even know your name. You're taking control of your own destiny, and guess what - sometimes that's a very rocky road.