I’ve spent a fair amount of time working with entrepreneurs on telling their story. Developing their pitch. Getting them (back) in touch with who they are and what they want, why it’s important and how this expresses itself in their startups.
Again and again I find that entrepreneurs lost the connection between the why and the what; between their original motivation and the grind of the day-to-day. They might have started out with an idealistic view of changing the world for the better, of developing a solution which solves a particular problem for their target demographic. But by the time they get to their first proper financing round all they talk about is cap tables, vesting periods, customer acquisition costs and the latest startup fad such as “growth hacking” (wait… growth hacking is so 2013, right?)
You want to do a reality check from time to time and ask yourself: Are you still doing what you’re doing for the right reasons?
Take some time, go on a hike, leave your phone behind and just ponder this question. Because if not — well… life’s too short.