Gary Ong | May 16th, 2022

Smile. Go ahead. Try it. Isn’t it peculiar that you can actually smile and laugh for no reason whatsoever? Then, your brain gets into action and gives you more reasons to smile.

Running a startup can be a lot of pain. There are the constant pressures of deliverables and deadlines. You’re worried about the runway, employees, technology, and just about everything else. Then, we top that off with the mission. It’s good to have a mission, but having a mission also means knowing what happens if you fail. And, no one wants to fail. So, the pressure builds, and before you know it, founding and running a startup is pure pain. Pure suffering.

How will you ever deliver something good into the world if all you know and understand is pain? The things you build will always reflect who you are. Who you are should be more than pain.

And it can be. Just take the first step out of pain. Smile.

Image credit: Annie Spratt

Gary Ong | April 19th, 2022

Startups are about people. In fact, all of life is about people. Sometimes, that’s a good thing: when someone smiles at us, it makes us smile too. But, oftentimes, we encounter people who are stressed, depressed, sad, and negative. We are told that we should remove these people from our lives. “They’re anchors, and they’re holding you down,” they say.

As someone who leads a startup, I am no stranger to folks who are sad, depressed, frustrated, or downright combative. After all, most of the things we try fail. Employees get frustrated when experiments implode. Investors become combative or defensive when they hear their world view challenged. Managers get angry, sad, or worried when the team misses a milestone. Running and working at a startup is truly difficult. If I were to remove people when they feel difficult emotions, there will be no one left on the team. I prefer an alternative perspective instead.

When you see someone sad, depressed, annoyed, angry, or frustrated, recognize that they are simply trapped by their own mind. The mind is an excellent servant but truly a terrible master. Your job is to help stage a prison break, to help them break free.

Image credit: Mario Azzi

Gary Ong | March 15th, 2022

I had a conversation recently with a friend who is also a founder. His company is three years ahead of mine, and he called me at 9 pm one night just to check-in. I was working on a project submission, and I asked him why he called out of the blue.

“Well, it seemed like you have a lot going on of late, and I thought I would check in to make sure you’re okay.”

We talked, lamented over all the difficult things about having a startup: making payroll, keeping stakeholders happy, that feeling of always being behind despite working almost every waking hour every day. It was cathartic, and in the end he said this.

“You’re doing well Gary. I know no one tells you that because no one ever tells me that either. But, you need to hear it and you deserve to know.”

It’s lonely at the top. Often, no matter how hard you work or achieve, it never feels like it’s enough or that you’re doing well. So if you’re working really hard today, jumping from task to task just wishing for the day to end early, you need to hear this.

“You’re doing well. I know no one tells you. But you need to hear it and you deserve to know. You’re doing well.”

Image credit: Kyle Glenn

Gary Ong | February 8th, 2022

I’ve been asked this question many times before: “what’s the one thing I can do right now to prepare for starting a company?” Some would say take business classes, take an internship at an existing startup, or just read voraciously about everything so that good ideas can come to you. These are all great advice, but I believe that the most important thing someone can do before starting a company is to build character.

By character, I am not speaking of a resume filled with degrees and accolades. Character is who you are. It defines why you do the things you do. It also defines the things you will never do. Character is important because there are no checks and balances at the beginning. Investors, employees, stakeholders, and customers are all signing up to support the company based only on your word. They are all counting on you to do what’s right and to know not to cross lines even when there are no rules, little regulation, and almost no boundaries. In other words, they are signing up because they trust you. Build character so that you don’t betray that trust.

Character is also important because all the defining elements of a startup stem from character. For starters, startups inherit the character of its people. We call that culture; it’s important to get right, and the founder has an outsized effect on it. The company’s mission and vision – the ‘why’ behind everything – also originate from character: it’s easy to say you want to change the world. It’s harder to know why you want to do it.

So, if you’re not starting a startup yet, and you want to prepare for that eventuality, my advice to you is this: build character. Know who you are before you begin.

Image credit: Sage Friedman

Gary Ong | January 10th, 2022

Let’s talk about burnout. I’ve experienced burnout time and time again. It’s a common thing when you work at a startup, even when you are the leader at the top. Sometimes, it is especially true because you feel like you are responsible for everything.

You feel like you’re supposed to be the fountain of all creation in the company, the one that inspires, holds things together, and fixes things when they fall, all while being the hopeful-positive one even in the direst times. It’s a tall task, and eventually you feel like you’ve it your all. You’re dry, and there is no motivation left to do anything and no fuel left to give anything. Even banking in a hundred thousand dollar check feels laborious. Welcome to the land of burnout.

So, how do we rebuild from here? I can’t tell you the perfect solution or answer, but here is what I do: commit to doing one kind thing a day for every person that you meet. It can be something as simple as a mindful “good morning” that is not said in passing, or as complicated as covering for a coworker who has a family emergency. Do this for a couple days and you will start feeling better. Try it. I don’t know why it works, but I hope it works for you.

Image credit: Kelly Sikkema