Whatever You Do, DO NOT…
Posted by Jonathan Iannacone on Wed, Dec 12, 2007 @ 03:04 PM
The advice I give to the hard-working and passionate entrepreneurs that I work with is this:
Whatever you do, DO NOT TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF OF THE GAS!
Running a successful startup is about achieving scale. And without the sale, there is no scale. There is a tendency among early stage companies to sprint and then relax. Whether after a big win, achieving a milestone or closing on funding, it is a natural inclination to sit down and take it all in. Resist this temptation.
Top line growth is the single greatest insulator against failure in a startup environment. It lowers burn, increases enterprise value and allows you to add more passionate people to deliver on the promise of the business.
So as the new year is almost upon us, get your ducks in a row now. Delegate the tasks that are on your plate that bog you down, suck your energy and really do not add all that much value. You know what they are and do not need me to tell you. Then before New Year's Day define an aggressive (reach) revenue goal for Q1 and also for the full year. Now, drive the company towards that goal.
Good things will happen I promise.