Transition from employee to founder is surprisingly not about the tech, incorporation, how to find the right partners or revenue streams. (Not that I’ve solved them yet lol)
I would say that having complicated conversations with people who want to build with you is the hardest challenge where I see myself grow.
Another one, talking to real people, understanding their problem and whether what you want to build is the solution.
How you run conversations is the key.
My kryptonites so far:
- Some conversations are really critical and not easy. Stand your ground. No BS. Be kind, respectful and yet keep it real. Because when talking to other founders – you have no time for BS.
- When it got too complicated my brain fogged and stopped working. I overcame this by my mindful practices and simply asking “What’s that?”. Nothing wrong with that.
- I lose amazing opportunities because I have no clear strategy on what our collaboration could look like.
What does it say:
- I am still not completely comfortable in the conversations, because what I describe is the consequence of stress. The “brain fog” and me starting rambling is the so-called “amygdala hijack”, (thank you, Daniel Goleman’s “Emotional Intelligence”) My emotional brain hits the panic button and floods my system, and my thinking brain gets drowned out in the noise. That’s why things that normally make sense suddenly feel impossible when you’re stressed.
- And the missing strategic approach? It’s like courage – it can be trained. The more I move forward, the more conversations I have, the more courageous, calm, and “strategic” I become. I’ve never considered myself a strategic person, so I’ll always be somewhere in the middle – really looking for understanding and creating emotional bonds with people first. Then the strategic part evolves.
I started reading Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, et al.
Any other books that you can recommend? Or a YouTuber?
Learning never stops.
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