It’s not surprising that most founders put everything into their startups—from both a funding and emotional perspective.
But how can founders ‘fortify’ their well-being when riding the waves of startup life?
That includes handling the disappointments, while also truly reveling in the joys that can come with entrepreneurship?
With 20+ years in the tech industry, Kenneth Berger helps startup leaders get unstuck and make their dreams happen. As an executive coach to dozens of top founders, Kenneth shares the tools he’s developed throughout his career to help leaders articulate what they truly want and take a courageous stand for those desires.
He’s a former founder in his own right, having helped create businesses backed by Andressen Horowitz and Accel, and was one of the earliest key hires over at Slack, acting as their first Product Manager as Slack grew from 100k to 1M+ daily users.
Needless to say, he’s been on the front lines of technological innovation and behind the scenes of some of the most impactful brands of the 2000s
It all boils down to Fundamental Safety
As Kenneth Berger explains, it all comes back to the idea of “fundamental safety” and building trust to weather the storm in startup life. Trusting yourself and knowing that whatever comes—even if it’s a worst-case scenario from a business standpoint—you’re going to ultimately be ok with the right mental fortitude.
As Kenneth Berger tells it, grappling with reality and being realistic about the struggles ahead will actually make you start thinking more creatively. Don’t make assumptions about what you should have—play within your actual constraints.
How do we make it so that founders aren’t stuck cashing out or burning out after a year or two? What tools do founders need to work on their companies for the long haul? As Kenneth Berger explains, no founder journey is the same, but having a realistic and healthy mentality about the state of your business is key.
