I came to a realization to why there are not enough founders out there, and it's not because there's not enough $1B ideas out there. Loads of people get that AHA moment with an incredible idea one night that infects their mind. At some point, that particular excitement will die away. You will reach a period (3, 6, 12 months) where you will start to feel like a toddler toying with their food: confused, lost, stressed and under pressure from your parents and loved ones to get a fucking job already.
What Melissa Bernstein, the co-founder of the Melissa and Doug toy company, tells Duke students is essential to a successful founder's DNA is optimism and determination. Talk to enough people and you will eventually piece together a new AHA moment - the feasible plans of executing your idea. If you thought the feeling of euphoria from coming up with the next big thing was amazing, wait until you have the feeling of knowing not only the idea but the way to really bring it to the world. Most people give up way before this point due to the lack of physical resources, mental resources, or patience. This is the major bottleneck of the founding of new unicorns.
I'm too early to say for a fact that I've reached this end so check in with me again in a few years, but I want to leave you with this: If you're feeling down and unmotivated, as long as you continue to hustle you will eventually reach the end of the tunnel and into the wide expanses of opportunity. For those of you currently living on the high of your idea, just you wait because the next AHA will be 10x better.
I think it is more a matter of perspective than not having enough new unicorns. Every "Unicorn" looks like every other startup until it doesn't, that being said there are a few things all successful startups have in common and a plurality of things holding startups back from succeeding.
Rather than make a list of things that I am no means an expert in, I will just say that YC seems to find a lot of startups with potential and if your a founder looking for motivation maybe this book might help?
I started this discussion because I watched this podcast and one of the questions was "why we don't have enough founders in the world" which spurred the thought.
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[ 3.7 ms ] story [ 20.3 ms ] threadWhat Melissa Bernstein, the co-founder of the Melissa and Doug toy company, tells Duke students is essential to a successful founder's DNA is optimism and determination. Talk to enough people and you will eventually piece together a new AHA moment - the feasible plans of executing your idea. If you thought the feeling of euphoria from coming up with the next big thing was amazing, wait until you have the feeling of knowing not only the idea but the way to really bring it to the world. Most people give up way before this point due to the lack of physical resources, mental resources, or patience. This is the major bottleneck of the founding of new unicorns.
I'm too early to say for a fact that I've reached this end so check in with me again in a few years, but I want to leave you with this: If you're feeling down and unmotivated, as long as you continue to hustle you will eventually reach the end of the tunnel and into the wide expanses of opportunity. For those of you currently living on the high of your idea, just you wait because the next AHA will be 10x better.
Rather than make a list of things that I am no means an expert in, I will just say that YC seems to find a lot of startups with potential and if your a founder looking for motivation maybe this book might help?
https://www.dummies.com/business/fundraising/venture-capital...
https://www.spreaker.com/user/10197011/breaking-down-common-...