Founder Gratitude
A founder journey is long and rough, so pausing for gratitude can take you far…
It’s been a while since I started my first company in 2009. It may be a while before I launch another. Being a founder is not for the light of heart or one who thrives on routine of any sort. And this is why gratitude and taking time to pause really matters- and that’s not something I realized for a very long time!
I recently had a catch up with a founder friend of mine. We’ve known each other for about a decade now…which makes me feel old- and yet perhaps like I’ve earned some street cred by now. I was disappointed to hear that he and his co-founder had a falling out that led to a series of lawsuits. So too, another friend mentioned a similar situation where he and a co-founder had parted ways and were in ongoing legal battles over ownership and IP.
For those who don’t know, I co-founded my first company I-DEV International with Jason Spindler. Jason was sadly and tragically killed in an attack in 2019, and I know that I’m still not fully over it. This is not about the attack, but about the gratitude I feel for Jason, my co-founder and business partner for 10 years! Jason and I did not always see eye-to-eye, and we were known to battle it out and shout at times to express our differing opinions- BUT we always listened, learned and were partners through upsides and downs of doing business in a complex and constrained business environment.
And so, I am forever grateful for this…I had 10 years with the best co-founder and friend I could ask for. We grew up as founders together. We grew, and sometimes fell back, in personal and professional goals. But we always had each others backs in the end. And I will always remember Jason as a great mentor, friend, chosen family member - someone who talked so much to me that I feel a part of my brain is still embedded with his thoughts. They have quieted in my ear over the years, but are always there pushing me to take another perspective.
So…before you start to feel the edge of burnout, or even if you are already feeling it and finding yourself moodier and more restless than before, I suggest you take the advice that I remember I adamantly rejected once long ago at the peak of my burnout - Ask yourself:
