One of our portfolio founders lamented that she felt stuck when my partner, Kimmy, and I met with her last week in one of our collaboration sessions. The founder was disheartened that her startup’s sales weren’t as strong as she would have liked or was planning. I could see the anguish in her eyes.
I told the founder that it was okay. The earliest days of a startup are primarily focused on learning as much as you possibly can. Learning who is actually your best customer. Learning what they truly need and don’t need and why. Learning how to engage them and sell to them. While the founder might have thought that this all made sense, it brought her little comfort. She was hungry for progress.
Then Kimmy was struck with a stroke of genius. She gave the founder a simple challenge: take a few minutes and write down all the milestones that you and your team accomplished this year.
A few days later, the founders messaged us. “Oh my…I’m writing what I accomplished this year….it’s a lot!” The founder and her team accomplished a ton. Moreover, it brought into focus the fact that to reach each accomplishment, she had to overcome at least one major obstacle, which made their wins even more impressive.
While the sales might not have been quite where she wanted, it became clear that her team was moving with great momentum, making tremendous progress on the product, operations, and go-to-market activities. Just like an athlete putting in long hours on the court or field, by doing the work and making steady progress, the trophies will come.
When you feel stuck next time, take some time to reflect, and write down all the things that you and your team have accomplished. I bet you’ll be surprised how much momentum you truly have.