Motivation gets you started...

                                           Photo Credit – Posted on March 7, 2019 by Shortfundly

                                                

There is a saying that "motivation gets you started but habits keep you going". I have both benefited and been burned by this cliche. There are great ideas that die before they have a chance to come to fruition all the time.

One of the reasons this happens is because there are so many good ideas out there, especially in the tech world, and but no one can predict the perfect timing to launch your earth shattering idea. The difference between the "overnight success" and white noise is who implements the idea at the right time, and has the right amount of resources, which takes a bit of luck. 

The problem with that is, no one will tell you that at the beginning. All they do is refuse to help because they don't believe you can do it, for no apparent reason. In reality, they do this because they know you're a noob and in order for you to be successful, your learning curve will be extremely steep.

This learning curve is a lot like sucking on a fire hose, complete information overload. As a result, most will drown within the first few months, to a year (about 80%). The ones who don't drown that first year, will run out of funds within the first three years. About 80% of those who made it through the first three years will fail by year five, due to lack of brand loyalty.

I would say that the difference between the winners and losers in the start up world is passion, but that's only partially true. There are thousands of highly passionate, intelligent people, who had amazing ideas that failed miserably, due to a myriad of reasons.

Although passion, and grit are invaluable traits that founders who are successful commonly possess, it takes more than that. It takes a team who shares your vision and is willing to make the necessary sacrifices too, if the company has a chance to make it.

From my personal experience, finding a well rounded team, with the right mix of talent and work ethic has been a lot tougher than I imagined. Even when I pieced a team together, deciphering how to get everyone on the same page took months.

One of the reasons it takes long to piece together a quality team is because there are people out there who are highly convincing, but have ulterior motives that, if they have their way, will leave you with nothing to show for all your hard work and time sacrifices, especially if money is involved.

Familiarize yourself with the ways to protect yourself legally in your industry. Become well versed with the basic contracts that help deter wolves in sheep's clothing. You will not regret it, I know this from personal experiences that were so troubling, they seemed like something out of a cheesy Hollywood movie script, but unfortunately for me, they were all too real.

Do your homework, and surround yourself with people who have the same level of work ethic and integrity as you, if not more. You will reap the rewards in the long run by developing these, and other successful habits, because motivation alone won't get you there.

Last but not least, work harder and smarter than the competition. Many people along the way will tell you why you will fail and how you can't be the exception. If you're anything like me, it will deflate your motivated state of mind over and over again. If you have done the research, and know the market is prime for your idea, do the work required to make it happen, before someone else does. 

You will be rejected more times than you can count. As long as you are moving forward, you'll get there. Don't avoid rejection, it's an irreplaceable part of the journey. Without rejection, there is no success story.

Robert Morton

Co-founder