Jul07
31
Scary question: what if it doesn’t work?
Scarier question: what if it does?
How much of your planning time is allocated to ‘what to do when it works’? I think too many startups miss out on opportunities to capitalise on successes due to outright shock.
When you succeed, how will you prolong / broaden / leverage those successes?
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Well, tell us Mike… How have you done it?
I think it’s a great question and one that would be best answered by someone who is currently going through it…
First up Nic, I haven’t. Hence me asking the question. Cerebra is beginning to sample a measure of success and it’s petrifying me. Suddenly there is something to lose. Reputation, dignity - oh and the small matter of cash - all hang in the balance.
So I am going through it - this is an introspective post.
Is this where good ol’ PR steps in?
Hmmmm… interesting, to me and others it seems as though Afrigator is on the brink of success Mike, Hence my question to you..
I think that I’m with you on the fear side of things, hell, I took a permanent job to aleviate some of that stress hey!! So who am I to talk?!?!
A very relevant point Mike…
We experienced some fairly serious client shouting when we started selling way more of a specific offering (something totally unique, hence the demand) than we anticipated a few months ago. We had to start saying things like “sorry, we can only get to you in 4 weeks’ time”, which nobody likes to hear. Although it’s in essence a nice(r) problem to have, it’s still pretty serious!
That being said though, I think the concept of It’s a Problem When It’s a Problem still applies.
Mike- nice conundrum…
Not that I can speak from experience- yet, but I’m a firm believer of ‘if you’re not growing, you’re dying’.
As Martin has pointed out it is a ‘nice’ problem to have, and it is your ability to manage expectations that will keep things together.
In direct response to prolonging/broadening/leveraging successes… I think if you’re able to actually pinpoint the direct causes of success then you’re halfway there.
Some very successful (lucky) companies spend a long time riding the wave with no clue of why things are working, and it breeds a false sense of confidence. Being sceptical of your own success will allow you to identify the reasons behind it and enable you to protect/redefine/differentiate those factors.
Answer 1: Dust yourself off and try again.. easier said than done if you are a family man though.. but business is all about risk and opportunity.
Answer 2: Worry about that when it comes.. make sure you have done everything right from the start and just continue do to what you’ve always done.. train people sufficiently so that the business can operate and grow without you.
Tyler: The training people sufficiently for the business to operate and grow without you part is easier said than done… Much easier. Actually… much, much easier