What mothers teach us, 5 lessons from the natural entrepreneur
When you decided to start out on your own, who was the one who believed beyond doubt that you will succeed? Your mother, of course. Being an entrepreneur is hard, being a mother is tougher. We bring you the top lessons we can learn from our mothers and how they can be applied to startups.
1) Be the captain, motivate - Remember when you failed in your test for the first time, she was the one who encouraged you. She trusted you and said you could do better. Same goes with your venture. There will be times when you don't have enough money to pay your employees, some may stick around and some may leave. But your job is to carry on and get going every day. Just like your mother, you have to make sure that the motivation levels are high in the family regardless of how things are going.
2) Be resourceful - When you lost your notebook, she kept searching for it even when you gave up. She stayed up all night, worked hard with you on your water cycle project. And when the corners of the project sheet broke off she used her old-school jugaad to stick them back so they could pass through evaluation. Same goes with your venture, be it the last minute investor pitch or that code fix. There is no room for panic.
3) First things first - A very close friend of mine once said, "It’s a sin if you are not giving your 100% in a startup." Even when you mother wakes up in the morning with a high temperature, she never forgets to prepare your breakfast. The same goes with your startup, sick or not. Because at the end of the day, it is your baby, you have to be the one to take care of it.
4) They don't work for rewards - Being a mother is a thankless job. She works throughout the day, from the time before you wake up till you go to sleep and she doesn't ask for appraisals or annual pay hike. Starting up for money is the worst thing you can do to yourself and your employees. Working towards a common vision is often much healthier for the entire company.
5) Have faith in you - Regardless of my short height and receding hairline, my mom still believes that I am the most handsome kid in the world. And my mother is not alone; every mom thinks that the same for her child. However, cliched it may sound but if you don't believe your idea is making a dent in the universe it will not make a dent in the purse of the investor or the customer too. You have to reinforce that belief in your team and everybody associated with your project.
Don't forget to show this video to you mother today. This is the least you can do for her to thank her for the sacrifices she made while raising you.
Child to his mother: Mom where is my iPod; Mom where is my new comic; Mom which shirt should I wear for the interview; Did you see that book, I can't seem to find it?
Kid to his father: Dad, Where is Mom, I can't find her.