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What reality check did you get in October?

Last month marked it a year working on Jovial. And as you expect from my absence on IH, I was disappointed at my progress. I felt I should be farther along. This isn't my first rodeo. I already had 2 failed startups. Granted we're in a pandemic. I thought since I love Jesus and my mama, I gained self-awareness, founder-fit, and grit with a caring heart will make building liquidity, an MVP, and a sales process easier this time around. That things will work in my favor and not against me.

I let myself get brainwashed with all these startup articles, podcasts, & videos. My silly butt really thought this timeline is realistic and the norm.

  • 1 mo - problem validation
  • 3 mo - problem solution validation
  • 6 mo - 1 year - product-market fit w/ MRR
  • 1 year - Earn a decent ARR w/ a usable MVP

What I didn't consider was the 7-10 year social contract I signed to solving a business problem. Or getting sucker punch w/ the status quo. After listening to the latest Startup Therapy episode - We get Paid in Finishes, not Starts, I can attest to the following being true (in my case).

  • One year Isn't enough to get anything done, let alone get indication whether you have a good or bad business.
  • First 3 years is the definition stage - you're figuring out what the hell the business is exactly.
  • Every idea at the beginning is a bad idea.

Here's what's not going to happen now, because of time.

  • Next 3-4 years is identifying the business size/capabilities.
  • Last 3-4 years is determine what you want to do with this business. Big biz will you go IPO? Sm biz how will we manage sustainability?

I totally forgot that "startup" isn't an entity, nor the entire life cycle. It's one stage in a business life cycle.

I highly recommend a good listen if you're debating pivoting, assessing your progress/commitment, or struggling w/ focus or morale.
We get Paid in Finishes, not Starts

Where ever you're at with your journey, take a breath and a break. Then reassess and decide how you like to live and enjoy this journey.

So what was your reality check?

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