New Venture Lab: Equipping Christian Entrepreneurs

Startups are Like War

Launching and running a start-up is a lot like war:  
  • You have imperfect information and inadequate resources
  • You operate in the middle of mass confusion and chaos
  • You will definitely take casualties and the life expectancy of the Lieutenants (your management team) is short, but if too many Lieutenants get killed, sooner or later, the Company Commander (you, the founder/CEO) gets replaced
  • You have an all-volunteer force that buys into what they are doing because they believe in the cause, they like the excitement, and they willingly take on the known risks
  • You forge fast and deep relationships with those who join you in the fight because of shared hardship and you mourn them when they become a casualty
  • You have no idea going in if you will survive or not and the potential outcome can vary dramatically from battle to battle 
  • You stand a good chance that one day, trembling from stress and anxiety, you call in for more bullets and fresh replacements (from your investors), but the answer you get is that you are on your own -- potentially you bleed to death alone on the battlefield
  • You stand a slim chance that the battles will begin to turn in your favor and eventually you will win the war and enjoy all the prestige and additional resources that come with a hero's successful mission
And all the while, you cling to your faith, because while life as an entrepreneur is uncertain, God is not.  After all, there is no such thing as an Atheist in a foxhole.

Adam Sheridan February 9, 2011

Thanks, Wade. This is timely and encouraging.

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