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THE 101 HATS OF AN ENTREPRENEUR

Being an entrepreneur literally means having to wear 101 hats.

One of my best friends will call and ask me “Which Patrick am I speaking with?”. And, I always laugh because he’s right. As the Founder & CEO of a tech company – Kedzoh – actually being the Founder & CEO is the least of what I do. Most of the time I’m wearing any number of hats. I thought I’d share with you what that list looks like. Don’t be daunted by the list. The ability to learn a new role or ‘expertise’ (i.e. product pricing) is part of what you do as an entrepreneur – you just continuously JFDI whatever needs to be done and learn how to do it.

Here’s my list of the hats I wear from time to time.

  1. Founder
  2. CEO
  3. CTO
  4. Chief Operating Officer
  5. Chief Financial Officer
  6. Chief Marketing Officer
  7. Chief Sales Officer
  8. Chief Liaison Officer
  9. Chief Investor Relations Officer
  10. Board member
  11. Visionary
  12. Evangelist
  13. Product manager
  14. Product designer
  15. Graphic artist
  16. Travel agent
  17. Public relations specialist
  18. Secretary
  19. Filing clerk
  20. Copier jockey
  21. Strategic planning manager
  22. Accountant
  23. Tax accountant
  24. Human Resource Director
  25. Training manager
  26. Hiring manager
  27. Firing manager
  28. Project manager
  29. UX designer
  30. Programmer
  31. Code herder
  32. Logistics manager
  33. Product pricing manager
  34. Cost accounting manager
  35. Excel jockey
  36. PowerPoint jockey
  37. Pitch deck jockey
  38. Pitch person
  39. WordPress jockey
  40. Web designer
  41. Website manager
  42. Photographer
  43. Model
  44. HTML jockey
  45. Paint jockey
  46. Photoshop jockey
  47. iMovie jockey
  48. Final Cut Pro jockey
  49. Product tester
  50. In-house legal counsel
  51. Options specialist
  52. common stock, preferred stock, convertible debt specialist
  53. Negotiator
  54. Domestic sales manager
  55. Country sales manager
  56. International manager
  57. Business development manager
  58. Joint venture manager
  59. Channel sales manager
  60. Technical support (level 1, level 2 and level 3)
  61. Training
  62. Customer support
  63. Client manager
  64. Social media manager
  65. Facebook manager
  66. Twitter manager
  67. LinkedIn manager
  68. WeChat manager
  69. Blog manager
  70. Posting manager
  71. Identity manager
  72. Marketing manager
  73. Brand manager
  74. Blogger
  75. Speech writer
  76. Networking specialist (human networking)
  77. Contact database manager
  78. Contact database input clerk
  79. Editor
  80. Writer
  81. Script writer
  82. Cameraman
  83. Video editor
  84. Sound editor
  85. Production assistant
  86. Production coordinator
  87. Actor
  88. Supporting actor
  89. Director
  90. Producer
  91. Furniture installer
  92. Carpenter
  93. Electrician
  94. Mover
  95. Delivery person
  96. PC and MAC installer
  97. PC and MAC technical support
  98. Software maintenance jockey
  99. Driver and chauffeur
  100. Cheerleader, friend, lover (not the kind you’re thinking of) and
  101. Chief cook and bottle washer

Excuse me, I have to end this post, my second phone is ringing. “Hello, this is Patrick. How may I help you?”.

Part III Becoming an Entrepreneur – ‘Entreprendre’ – The Origin & Meaning of the Word Entrepreneur

Erroll Flynn pirate

By serendipity I can across this origin and meaning of the word “entrepreneur” in some forgotten Google equivalent of Quora named Google Answers. It fits perfectly with what I’ve been saying in Part’s I and II about becoming an entrepreneur:

“The word entrepreneur comes from the 13th century French verb entreprendre, meaning  to do something or to undertake.”

I think that sums it up perfectly!

“By the 16th century, the noun entrepreneur, had emerged to refer to someone who undertakes a business venture. The first academic usage of the term was by economist Richard Cantillon in 1730. For Cantillion, the bearing of risk engaging in business without an assurance of the profits that will be derived is the distinguishing feature of an entrepreneur.” And, that’s an okay definition but it fails to capture the importance of the action the verb conveys: to do something, to undertake.

In short, being an entrepreneur should be thought of as a VERB, it’s all about action; not a NOUN that simply describes someone. I think a more modern definition and update to Cantillon’s should be: someone who does, someone who JFDIs… someone who has a passion to achieve something that is greater than themselves with no regard to being guaranteed any success or profit.

So to go forward in your understanding of becoming an entrepreneur by going back to the 13th century French verb and think entreprendre… to do and JFDI!

 

Part II Becoming an Entrepreneur – The Entrepreneurs Mantra – Top 10 Things You Need

popart 2016 smDon’t you just love all these top 10 lists? Do they even make sense?

Most of the lists I’ve seen all list some variation of: have a great team, find a great co-founder(s), build your MVP, pivot or don’t pivot, get to product market fit, have a revenue model, raise some money, etc…

Becoming an entrepreneur isn’t about any of those things.

It wasn’t until my third company that I really became an entrepreneur. How can that be you say? The fist I started while I still had a regular job and therefore had the cushion of a salary, the second I was a co-founder and we had a modest amount raised and I was drawing a salary, the third I received a small grant and covered my bills for six months. It’s what happened after those six months that made the difference.

I’ll never forget the day I realized the change. I was having lunch and a friend joined me (he’d had a company he’d been working on and had recently closed it). We got to talking and he looked at me and said “You know, you’ve become an entrepreneur.” I looked at him with a puzzled look and responded “What do you mean?”. ”Well…”, he said, “… you haven’t stopped talking about what you’re doing with your business. You’ve run out of money; but, you don’t seem to care. You’re knocking on all the doors you can. You’re doing whatever it takes to keep it going.” And, he was right. I was.

And, it struck me that being an entrepreneur isn’t about having the word ‘Founder” on your business card. It’s about being so passionate up about what you’re doing that you just keep going. You find a way forward. You find the money. You find that co-founder you’ve been looking for. You find those great developers you need. You just f’ing do it! And, you do it every day. There is no boss to tell you to get up and go to work. You are the boss. You get up because it’s what you do.

It’s your mantra: “I do therefore I am”. It’s the mantra of the entrepreneur.

What do you do?

Part I Becoming an Entrepreneur – Je Fais, Donc Je Suis – I Do, Therefore I Am

FranceThe philosophical underpinnings of Descartes’ statement – Je pense, donc je suis / I think, therefore I Am – is the anti-thesis to doubt but omits one important point: it presupposes that one has overcome doubts.

Doubt to an entrepreneur (or anyone esle for that matter) is the single greatest threat we face. Greater than the competition. Greater than any technological advances. For in doubt resides inaction and inaction results in failure “TO DO”.

Everyone talks about MVP and product-market-fit but I’ve seen too many fail because of inaction. Not because they didn’t have the skills but because they just somehow got stuck.

And, here’s my simple solution to getting “unstuck”.

At the top of my “To do” list is the reminder: Just start working on something and 20 minutes later you’ll actually be doing it*. That’s exactly what I did with this blog. I just looked at the blank piece of paper and started writing and in less than twenty minutes my ideas starting taking shape. I didn’t need to meditate (although that’s s good thing), I didn’t need to do any special ritual or have a long list of other things (doubts) completed before starting. I just started.

So take up a new anthem: “Je fais, donc je suis” – “I do, therefore I am”.

It’s really quite simple. Focus on “getting shit done” and JFDI.

 

* Many thanks that that author who’s name I’ve forgotten but who’s idea has stuck with me”.

The Great California Time Myth

IMG_0378I deal in myths all the time in building a tech business (i.e. how easy it is, how hard it is, how you need traction to get investors, how you don’t need traction to get investors…).

But the most frustrating myth I’ve had to deal with is the myth that being based in California is a great place to do business with Asia.

This is simply not true!

What prompted me to look at this were two things: 1) flights that were are too long and 2) having to either get up at 4 AM to make a phone call or stay up until after 10 PM to make a call.

So I sat down to do some research and I compared how long the flights are to go from San Francisco to Japan, China and India to how long it takes to go to the same destinations from London or Paris.

If I add up all the travel time from San Francisco to all my Asia destinations it’s 44 hours and 15 minutes.

If I add up all the travel time from London or Paris to all my Asia destinations it’s 31 hours and 15 minutes.

So, leaving from either London or Paris is 13 hours less than if I leave from San Francisco! I never expected that. That’s the equivalent of one trip!

Here’s the data:

Flights From San Francisco to Asia

  • San Francisco to Tokyo, Japan: 10 hours and 30 minutes
  • San Francisco to Beijing, China: 12 hours and 5 minutes
  • San Francisco to Bengaluru, India: 21 hours and 40 minutes

Flights From London or Paris to Asia

  • London or Paris to Tokyo, Japan: 11 hours and 35 minutes
  • London or Paris to Beijing, China: 9 hours and 55 minutes
  • London or Paris to Bengaluru, India: 9 hours and 45 minutes

[As an aside, for some strange reason the flight times are exactly the same from London or Paris. I imagine the UK flights speed up so as to make sure the French don’t have the advantage, but there’s probably some better explanation having to do with flight paths.]

So, what about phone calls?

Calling From San Francisco to Asia

  • If it’s 8 PM in San Francisco it’s 10 AM in Indonesia
  • If it’s 8 PM in San Francisco it’s 12 PM noon in Japan
  • If it’s 8 PM in San Francisco it’s 11 AM in China
  • If it’s 8 PM in San Francisco it’s 8:30 AM in India

So, in order to catch a big time window with Asia, I’ve got to start calling them at about 8 PM San Francisco time and speak to them until 11 PM or 12 midnight California time. This means I have to forget about evening meetings or pitch events in the Bay Area or having dinner with friends.

However, if I call Asia from London or Paris I effectively can make my calls from about 8AM to about 11 AM which puts these calls in the “regular” part of a day.

Calling From London or Paris to Asia*
* If from Paris, subtract one hour to where you are calling

  • If it’s 9 AM in London it’s 3 PM in Indonesia
  • If it’s 9 AM in London it’s 5 PM in Japan
  • If it’s 9 AM in London it’s 4 PM in China
  • If it’s 9 AM in London it’s 1:30 PM in Bengaluru

So, there you have it. A European base makes more sense if you’re speaking to a lot of clients in Asia and if you travel a lot to Asia. Who would have thought?

Of course, you have to live there. So you have to decide: do you prefer roast beef, steak haché or hamburgers?

More About Understanding The World… 5 Tips on How to Find International Opportunities

IMG_0276In the past I’ve written more than a few blogs about the opportunities that exist for non-US entrepreneurs in the United States. Today, I’m going to talk about the vast opportunities that exist for the US entrepreneur outside the US (It also applies to non-US entrepreneurs, but I’m taking the US perspective on this post).

Here are 5 tips on how to look at and spot international opportunities.

  1. Think outside the country. Look at what countries are hot. India and China for sure, but what about places like Bangladesh and Nigeria? I know of one enterprising American entrepreneur that’s selling cell phones in Angola. And I have a friend who moved to Bogota, Columbia several years ago when it wasn’t exactly a tourist destination, so there was some risk. But, heck there’s also some out-sized returns. How many competitors do you think these people encountered? Not many, that’s for sure. So, what’s the moral of the story? Think outside the country.
  2. Keep your eyes open. One of my favorite examples is the US school teacher that was traveling with her class of elementary school children in Europe. And, what were the little rascals buying? Gummy bears! What did she do? She secured the rights to the US market and made a tidy sum selling something that had never been sold in the US. OK, so it’s not overseas. But, that’s not the point. The point is travel with open eyes and you will see the opportunities. Come back to your home country and secure those international rights to some really needed product.
  3. Think Less Income. We’re too used to having everything in America – it’s a country built on comfort. When thinking about some foreign markets, think local, think less income. Sure, you can sell to the high end, but larger opportunities are at the middle and lower end. Ask yourself, how would I make do with their income? What would I be willing to buy with the little money I had? I had a French teacher, a wonderful lady, that used to teach in Cameroon and one of the things she sold quite successfully was a plain straw hat that had a mirror on the inside. Who would have thought? She did. And, what did she once do? She gave a free hat to a big chief and in return he gave her a carved elephant tusk. Ok, so that’s not IPO material. But, it’s a start and if you don’t start you don’t get anywhere.
  4. Think Even Less Income. You say, how can people with limited means possibly afford some of the things we have in America? Well they can’t. You have to come up with completely new products and ideas for those markets. After all, most of the products we have in the US are made somewhere else now so don’t look here for ideas. Peel the orange all the way back and invent something new. One of my favorite stories, is the American entrepreneur that moved to China to sell cosmetics to the Chinese masses. Well, lipstick can be pretty expensive. But her solution was ingenious. She was going to sell miniature lipsticks. Like those mini-bottles you find in hotel room bars. Just a small version of the original.
  5. Think local. So what do you do if you need a shovel to farm but you can’t afford shoes? Ever try pushing your naked foot against the blade of a shovel to push it into the ground. Tough right? More, like impossible. So what did some enterprising entrepreneur do? They put a step on the shovel so it formed a “T” with the blade and the farmer could then push down with their naked foot onto the top of the “T” and not cut the bottom of their foot. A very simple and elegant solution. OK, so that’s not exactly a large market. No it’s not, but depending on what you’re trying to do (i.e. do good) it could be the perfect solution. The point is that even if you want to make money (while doing good I assume even if profit is your only motive) you have to adapt locally? As they say, when in Sri Lanka, do like the Sri Lankans do.

Yes, Grasshoppper, look, think, jump! JFDI

 

 

How to Build a Global Technology Company in Five Steps

IMG_0190I want to share with you some of my experience in building a global company. There’s nothing easy about the following five steps. They’re all really hard. And, unless you’re a Facebook or a Twitter the chances are that you’ll be building your company one country at a time until one day what you build will take on a life of its own.

  1. Start thinking globally. Forget about the town, city, region and country you live in. Start thinking about how people in other countries use technology. What are people’s relationship to technology? What is the cost of their technology? How much do they have to pay for new technology? Do they have access to the internet? How often? How much? At what speeds?
  2. Forget about PC’s, laptops and tablets. Just think about mobile devices because you “Ain’t global if you’re not mobile”™. Mobile phones are the dominant devices around the world. So if you’re not from the US or Europe then you already have an advantage – you’re already thinking global and mobile because that’s all you’ve ever known. If you are from the US or Europe try and only use your cell phone to do everything. You probably already do most things on your phone but cut that last ten percent. You’ll be amazed on how little you actually ever need something larger than a phablet – and you only need a phablet to watch movies or play games; otherwise a regular sized smartphone is good enough.
  3. Move to an another country until you have that feeling that you’re “not in Kansas anymore” or that you’re not in a place that feels like home. The more removed you are from your comfort zone, the faster your global perspective will grow. If you’re based in the US you’ll soon discover a world where you can live for as little as $500 to $1,000 per month. With the money you save you can invest those savings in your company. But, it’s not the savings that are most important. Being out of your comfort zone makes you more creative in everything you do. I think it has to do with the fact that you revert to some primal hunt or be hunted mode and just find solutions to the problems you have with the resources you have. You have no choice, it’s about survival.
  4. Build a global team. There are great co-founders across the globe. You just have to look and you’ll find them. I found mine when I was part of Startup Chile and he’s from Kazakhstan. What do we have in common? Dedication, hard work, respect for each other and a common language – English. Here’s a quick aside on language: if your team doesn’t speak good English you can forget about being a global company. It’s a given that no matter where you go in the world that you will need to speak English if you want to communicate at higher levels with partners or investors.
  5. JFDI. But how do I do these things? JFDI (See my post on this). If you’re looking for a founder, search for “how to look for a founder”. If you need global talent search for “how to find talent? Talk to everyone and always be on the lookout for what you’re seeking. For the longest time I was looking for partners in Asia, so everywhere I went I looked for people who could fit that role or might know someone who did. Yes, it took a while but I found those partners. Once you set a goal, it’s remarkable how your actions will self-fulfill that goal. So, JFDI.

So, punk, are you feeling lucky? Go, ahead, make your day. Do it!

A Taste of India

IMG_8784I haven’t so much visited India as I have lived in India. I arrived in mid-February in Bengaluru and just started working … boulot, dodo as the French say; work, sleep. I stayed a month (then on to Indonesia and Singapore; but that’s for another day). I had lots of business meetings and took two days at the end of my trip to go see the Taj Mahal; because how could you go to India and not see it. Here are some thoughts on living in India I’d like to share with you…

  • In the UK they drive on the left side of the road, in the US people drive on the right side of the road, in India people drive on the left, on the right and in the middle – it just depends which is going to get you to your destination fastest. They also go the wrong way if its shorter.
    o I don’t understand why the top ten Formula One drivers in the world aren’t all Indian. It certainly feels like a road race when you’re on the road here as everyone darts into any opening they see.
  • In India 81% of the vehicles on the road are motorcycles. Traffic is already pretty bad, I can only imagine how bad it’s going to get as more people can afford to buy cars.
  • The food they call Indian in Europe and the US has nothing to do with the food in India. The food in India is simply AWESOME. The flavors will mezmerize you. The tastes will transport you. Now it will be almost impossible for me to eat in an Indian restaurant in the west.
  • If you’re vegetarian you must move to India. It’s easy to be vegetarian here and everything tastes so good that even if you’re not you won’t even think about it. BTW: 40% of the country is vegetarian.
  • In New York I used to go out to Indian restaurants all the time. In India people go to Italian restaurants when they go out (at least my friends do) – and, of course, the Italian food tastes nothing like that in Italy. But I did go to an all vegetarian Italian restaurant.
  • Thank goodness for Uber (or the local equivalent). It really does make getting around a whole lot easier and dependable. And, in India it’s way cheaper than in the west. But, for the fun of your life, figure out how to negotiate a ride on a Auto Rick Shaw. Now, that’s a ride you won’t forget!
  • The street and the sidewalk are all one. There are no sidewalks or very few of them as we know them. Wear good shoes. The “sidewalks” have more potholes in them than the street.
  • Yes, it’s dusty. Most of it comes from the red soil that makes up half the sidewalk; the other half being concrete.
  • When you have business meetings, all the senior people you meet will speak or at least understand English. And, in many cases business is conducted in English even between Indians – with so many dialects it’s the one language that unifies India. Outside of a business meeting it just depends on where you are and whom your speaking with, but have no fear if they can’t understand you they’ll find someone who will.
  •  You will meet people who can not read. This happened several times with Auto Rich Shaw drivers. It made me incredibly sad and grateful for all the education I’ve had.
  • Many of the street signs and advertising is in English. Most of the billboards are trying to sell you a house or an apartment. And, I mean most of them!
  • You can’t always see the street signs so learn how locals refer to a street. In Bengaluru I would always tell them “Please go to KFC Signal”; that meant the street corner on which was located KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), if I told them 13th Main they’d just look at me funny.
  • The Internet was pretty good everywhere I went. Plus, you can get really cheap monthly cell phone plans.
  • US children play alot of sport. India children study all the time.
  • People gather around a TV set outside appliance stores to watch cricket matches.
  • When you take a plane in India make sure you put an extra luggage tag on your carry on bag – you get this at the counter when you get your boarding pass. They will stamp this luggage tag after you go through security. If you don’t have a stamped luggage tag before getting on the plane they will detain you and search your bags manually.
  • Security at the Airports is professional, courteous and speedy.
  • You better have a printout of your plane ticket or and eTicket on your phone or you won’t be allowed inside the terminal. I always had some electronic proof and wouldn’t want to test what happens if you don’t (I’ve been told they check it against the passenger list).

India works. It’s traditional. It’s modern. Part of it is in the past, the momentum is in the future, the food is awesome and the people are friendly and helpful. Just go!

I’m mad as hell and don’t want complex edtech anymore!

mad as hellHow much has teaching and learning really changed in the last 10,000 years? Sure, we have the internet with millions of pages but that’s just a big disorganized library. What about the real stuff of teaching and learning? I don’t think teaching and learning has changed at all, matter of fact I think we’ve lost touch with some very simply truths and technology needs to reflect that.

We’ve always learned in one of two ways: 1. top – down from our parents or an authority figure (a teacher or a boss) or 2. from the other kids in the playground (our colleagues and fellow students). We learn by looking, listening, writing, practicing, repeating, thinking and imitating.

Let’s look at the tools of teaching and learning. All that’s needed is something to “write” on or something that lets us “read” what is to be learned; by read and write I mean things that let us look, listen, write, practice, repeat, think and imitate and today that means text documents, video, audio and pictures.

But the tools we used in the past were really simple: sand, clay, a blackboard or just paper. But now the tools we use are computers or phones. So we don’t carry a slate around with us any longer and the tools (computers and phones) we do carry have gotten more and more complex. But a computer or a phone are just a modern version of the slate. What do you use to replace your finger or a piece of chalk? Today we use software to replace our fingers and chalk and this has led to breeding tools that are themselves more and more complex and difficult to use.

This simply shouldn’t be. If you’re developing software for teachers or for students make it simple. Put yourself in their shoes. Is this something you would want to use yourself? Forget about selling your product (I actually think people who buy education solution are sometimes dazzled by complex products and want to buy the most complex solutions so people keep making more and more complex solutions to sell to them; but that’s a topic for another blog). There are enough people, teachers and learners in the world, 7 billion at last count that what want and need is just the modern equivalent of the slate and a piece of chalk– something simple they can use.

We somehow think that technology will somehow change the way we actually learn or teach. We are humans and changing how we learn would mean changing our very DNA. What can be changed is the tools that make learning and teaching possible.

They need to be simple, intuitive and be so easy to use that everyone can use them – both teachers and students, managers and employees, leaders and soldiers.

OK, you might say I’m biased because I built the easiest to use mobile learning platform in the world – Kedzoh – but damn it, why does everything have to be so complex? Well, I got so mad that I went out and did something about it!

Keep Calm and Keep on Truckin’

keep on truckin2If you believe everything that you read you would think that being an entrepreneur is all if not mostly one high after another; every idea being funded, every app getting built and every team jumping for joy every day. The reality is quite the opposite. But we do it because of the intense satisfaction we get from doing something meaningful. Something that we are passionate about.

Recently, I received an email from a friend and fellow entrepreneur and I thought I’d share with you what is to me a rare glimpse into just how hard the hard work of building a business can be.

Their comments to me are in gray and my responses are in blue.

Not sure if you are able to understand how I feel.

I am going between excitement and depression.

– Completely normal. As I like to say, having your own startup is like believing in God, your faith is always being tested.

Excitement, because I envision the outcome, because I think about all the good indications, that are telling me we will have a big success.

– Yes the early years are in some ways the most exciting as you’re fighting the early battles. As it gets older you’re fighting more traditional business battles of selling and making a profit.

Yes! And at the beginning you have a vision but later it is more about implementing things, which often means dealing with admin stuff, testing products, and seeking more funding.

Depression, because I think about the time I already spend on the project. I had always thought this would be a 4 months development task but I’ve been at it over 2 years now.

– It always takes much longer than you think. Like deciding to fix something in your house. You think you can do it in a few hours and three days later you’re still working on it. Having a startup is no different.

Agreed.

And then I participate in these mentoring sessions, with mentors that I feel are much less experienced than me, and with co-entrepreneurs that are much younger. So I often feel misplaced.

– I just listen, some young guys have no idea of what they are doing and yet one of the best most mature entrepreneurs I know is less than 30 years old. He’s just amazing. So, you never know. I just keep an open mind and see what people have to say. There’s always some wisdom you can pick up.

Agreed!

And then there is the lonesomeness, as I seem to be the only one who really cares. This is only increased by having to travel to many different places for the project.

– This is perhaps the greatest challenge. Your focus is 100% on the business and then you realize that you’ve neglected your personal life.. So yeah, entrepreneurialism is difficult for a personal/family life but that doesn’t mean it’s not impossible, it’s just a major hurdle.

Yes.

– I think the best way to fight loneliness is to do things and be involved in something that is completely unrelated… a hobby or a sport or an activity you really like… I even find that blogging helps me. I just like sharing my experience and it’s one way to do so. But, nothing beats just getting out of the business routine whether it’s a sport (yoga’s my thing) or participating in cultural events (art, music, you name it).

I do try and recently tried dancing Salsa. It was nice and I got to know some people.

And then there is the fear that this might not work out. And what would I do then? Work at a job, where the boss is probably incompetent and much younger than me? And where my entrepreneurial experience is not valued at all.

– Even if it doesn’t work out as a business it will work out anyway ’cause you’ve gained so much experience. No one knows what we’ve had to endure to try and build a business and now if I was running a major company I’d want to hire people who truly understood what it took to build a company, not just some fancy degree. So, no matter the outcome, I think the outcome is positive and has incredible value.

But companies like [Big name “entrepreneurial” company goes here] think otherwise! I had a long talk with one of their recruiters. He really took the time to explain things to me: He thinks I am really smart and hard working, BUT they generally do not like to hire entrepreneurs. Instead they hire consultants and investment bankers. People that have no prior experience in startups but that are intelligent and supposedly good at execution.

Have you ever been in these situations?

– So yes, I’ve been in all of the above.

– Having said all of the above I think having a supportive environment is very important. In Startup Chile I felt really supported and I always had people I could speak to. Startup Brazil was similar but on a smaller scale. One really needs a strong supportive environment. Especially one where you can talk to other entrepreneurs. Maybe you need to go home for a few months and recharge or find a place where you can be around lots of good entrepreneurs.

I agree. I think it already helps that I have a co-founder.

– Call anytime and know that you are not alone and that what you’re going through is perfectly normal and natural.

Thanks for your advice. It is good to share with a fellow entrepreneur! 🙂

So, Keep Calm and Keep on Truckin’ – to mix two generational metaphors.