How do you handle startup stress?

Get out of the kitchen. Permanently, if the stress is continually debilitating; or temporarily, whilst the stress simmers down.

In my early entrepreneurial days, I'd often lie awake, overwhelmed by numerous tasks and ideas. To combat this, I developed an effective system: Identify: Recognizing the specific cause of stress is crucial - do that first. Evaluate and Act: Once pinpointed, determine if there's an immediate solution. If there is, jump up from bed and tackle it or at least schedule a time to address it. Otherwise, set it aside - it's beyond your control so there's nothing you can do about it. This mental evaluation and decision making helps me every time and I haven't lost sleep many times, even during the toughest rollercoasters.

I was hired as employee #1 into a small legaltech startup 11 years ago. We've since been acquired three times. The key to managing the stress that comes along with startup volatility is to be flexible and willing to pivot on a dime. Things change rapidly, even as you grow, and adaptability and an open, curious mindset is key. Leadership and processes will change over time. Be true to yourself and your purpose and know that growing pains are normal and lead to, well, growth. Growing is what you want a company to do so embrace it and the volatility that sometimes comes with it!

Let me share my personal experience. I have started three businesses and I have realised that stress is the outcome of expecting a particular result. When you start a business you are very clear about your plans to grow it. As you progress you start evolving and after a time you realise that this was not as per plan. When things don't go our way we get stressed. However keeping an open mind, maintaining honesty and moving ahead with faith relieves a lot of stress

Managing startup stress entails keeping organized by prioritizing work and successfully managing time. Delegate tasks to your team to reduce workload and foster collaboration. Take regular breaks to renew your thoughts, maintain a healthy work-life balance, and indulge in stress-relieving activities such as mindfulness or exercise. Seek help from colleagues, friends, or mentors by sharing your problems and gaining new insights. Adaptability is essential; be adaptable and recognize that setbacks are a normal part of the business process. Celebrate modest victories, set realistic expectations, and seek professional help if stress becomes unbearable.

The founder journey is inherently a lonely one unfortunately but that 100% doesn't mean that you can't/shouldn't build a support system to lean on in times of need. Whether it's friends, family, colleagues, a professional, or all of the above, every person (founders included) needs someone to go to in times of need. Building that network of emotional and mental support should be a priority from a personal perspective (your mental health and well being are incredibly important) and from a professional perspective (you can't operate at 100% if you're bogged down)

One of the most important things I've learned as a founder is how important it is to have a community around yourself. Be it your fellow founders, partners, investors or even customers... A group of people you can reach out to for support or you can share your struggles with has a central role in your success.

Find your pillars. Keep them close. In my experience, it's important to identify the people you trust - those who add value, those you can brainstorm ideas with, those who fill you with positive energy, those who give you advice and support you through tough times. Quality of this trusted circle matters more than quantity.

I said it once, and i'll say it again. Your biggest capital that you have was, is and will be the people around you. 2 more tips: - Find other founders or co founders. Once you see, they all have similar struggles - you will understand your position better. - Be good to yourself and give yourself some credit for what you do. At the end of the day, you are fighting for a vision that is worth living for.

COACHES AND MENTORS: Seeking support from your coaches and mentors is the first thing to do... they know that you are notnthe only one. They know people who have got out of similar situations. Most importantly they will listen to you. Its always advisable to have a coach or mentor. TEAM: Secondly, work with the team they can give you different perspectives, may be they are not able to give you ideas on management decisions but havin your team behidnyou on operational issues helps a lot. FAMILY: Thirdly, keep your family close. They are your ultimate motivating power. They will keep you strong headed, back you on your decisions and help you in whatever you do. You should be able to handle any stress If you have support from these three.

It’s important to look at failures with the right glasses. Failures give us the opportunity to move forward with new lessons. Sure they feel bad because in the beginning of any action that led to failure was hope for success and progress. But we need to learn to overcome the bad feelings fast and move towards the ultimate goal by taking the next action. Another caveat is to avoid turning failures into blame games. Sometimes failures are the result of a person’s error but in many cases, everyone did what they were supposed but the results were not what was expected. If there was a specific error by someone, then that should definitely be addressed but it shouldn’t be that every failure must have a scapegoat attached to it.

Running a startup requires agility, an open mind, a thirst for knowledge and most importantly grit. Failing is just part of the experience. Expecting success from get-go, who got what recognition/awards and reading about who raised how much is just a distraction which contributes to stress. Run your own race, if fall, get up and get going. It's best to: 1. Know what you are good at 2. Understand the market and keep probing 3. Try and fail fast, learn, move on 4. Build an ecosystem and collaborate with partners that add value to what you do 5. Look for opportunities in everything, qualify it & if it's ok - go for it. But be disciplined so you don't go down rabbit holes Failure is not the end. But also know when to give up and pivot.

I'm currently watching "Jack Ryan" on Amazon, which has a big military presence. In the military, there is something called an "After Action Report" This report is an incident post mortem to decipher what worked, what didn't work? The Five Questions in an AAR Report: What was supposed to happen? What did happen? What are some improves? What are some sustains? What can be done to improve next time? It is simple, objective, requires honesty and allows for growth. When I do sit down and plan, be strategic, be intentional, and consider what I have learned from previous experiences, the thing I am dealing with will have a better chance of success.

I like to share with you that in a real entrepreneural startup culture that embraces pivoting for the better, FAILURE stands for ‘FIRST ATTEMPT IN LEARNING’. Ps. Help other startup entrepreneurs by sharing this quote ✅🥳.

Fracasos pasados no garantizan fracasos futuros! Aprender de nuestros errores nos vuelve al menos un 0.1% mejor. Un rabino le dijo una vez a su mentoreado. "Si supiste conectar los puntos que te llevaron a tu exito, sos capaz de conectar los puntos de tus fracasos y reevaluar que decisiones tomarías hoy?" Los errores pasados son los obstáculos que forjaron nuestro presente, e inevitablemente tendremos muchos más por afrontar que seguir moldeando nuestra realidad.

Some of the scary and challenging things start-up founders face: 1. Uncertain revenue 2. Self-promoting (maybe just the introvert in me talking?) 3. Educating a marketplace on a new/different concept Some of the exciting things start-up founders face: 1. Getting your first client!! 2. Waking up with purpose every day 3. Constantly learning and improving on important life skills like adaptability, resilience, and humility Not having challenges to overcome is boring.

Bias for action is absolutely critical in your startup journey. Earlier on, you only have hypothesis' about what would work and what wouldnt. Its only through experimentation can you know what works and what doesnt. Thats been key for me in dealing with uncertainty in early stages of a venture

1. Seek discovery, not validation; being wrong is progress if you're humble enough to learn the lesson. 2. Kill your darlings. Ideation is a muscle you can train. Being nimble and learning when to moving on can make or break a company. 3. Encourage continuous learning and let your people run their own experiments. Collect and share the learnings you've gathered,company wide. 4. Compare notes, even (especially) externally. If you're on to something, chances are others want the answers you seek just as badly. Find those allies and keep them in the loop.

Prioritize progress over perfection. Ensure you are heading in the right direction (long-term goal). Let your north start guide you. Have systems and the right team to navigate the inevitable changes along your journey. Remember to take care of your people, and they will take care of business.

Thriving in the entrepreneurial landscape involves not just coping with but embracing uncertainty as an inherent part of the startup journey. The ability to navigate ambiguity is a hallmark of successful entrepreneurs. Instead of viewing uncertainty as a source of stress, consider it a canvas of endless possibilities. Embracing the unknown fosters adaptability, innovative thinking, and a resilient mindset. It transforms challenges into opportunities, allowing entrepreneurs to stay agile and make informed decisions amid the unpredictable nature of startups. In a world where change is constant, embracing uncertainty becomes a strategic advantage, propelling both personal growth and the success of ventures

Some great ways to handle that: - Have a coffee - Have a meeting with your team, brainstorm on new / old ideas - Have a quick run or just a walk to clear your mind - Have a call with your fam, get inspired by them.

Entrepreneurship is a marathon (with sprints along the journey). Learn how to manage your energy & focus before managing your time. Find the 20% of activities that generate 80% results. Focus on that. Use time blocking for deep work that aligns with your energy level. Surround yourself with people that complement and challenge you. Give back when you can and lift others along the way. Givers are winners in the long run. Upvote if you relate to this, and let's connect!

Manage stress or stress will manage you! Get a team of experienced people around you. And, If you want to avoid stress or can’t manage stress, don’t do a start up 😂

I know that every day is an opportunity to get a step closer to your goals. No doubt about it. What happened to me though, i went to the extreme and the day after working on a day off i sat down and asked myself - has this day really increased my productivity? Has this really added value? What if i would rest for a day atleast, wouldn't my batteries recharge and then allow me to be more productive? They did. Working hard, does not mean working smart. Take a day of now and then. It's smart ;)

Hire good people and trust them to do their jobs. Trying to oversee every detail of your team's workload will increase your stress, and increase their stress, and absolutely contributes to a toxic environment for everyone!