Startup Life — I don’t know why I love you, but I do.

What is it about the startup life that gets me fired up? Self torture. Isolation & loneliness. Awkward encounters with those NOT involved in furthering your startup (i.e. potential team additions, clients, partners, investors, etc). Balancing ‘hustle culture’ with unplugged family moments. Combating & protecting your tribe from exploitative people, snake-oil salesmen, imposters, and time-wasters.

By all accounts there is no logical reason to subject oneself to pain & torture while risking everything for the possibilities of an idea. Sacrificing friendships, familial relationships, hobbies, financial security, et al. This life is one of sacrifice and of reward and I attempt to capture some of that below as I recap 2019 and our journey, along with some founder advice.

In hindsight

The decision to dive into the startup world was an easy & exciting choice— attempting the feat of growing a successful + sustainable business built around technology and the new wave of consternation from the employable population— a choice I formally made midway through the last decade. And whether I knew it or not, it seems it was actually percolating as early as 2010–2013 when I uprooted myself and my two pups to take on an adventure in Florida in search of meaning — a renewed purpose in a life that had gotten cloudy…