I wanted to see what I was made of. Use what I learned from big companies that I’d worked at – like Red Bull, MTV and Unilever – and apply them to my own company. It’s been a steeper and longer climb than I imagined, but I’m starting to see the summit and it’s beautiful looking back on TENZING’s journey.
Every startup story is completely different. But one thing I know for sure, is that no founder finds it easy. In fact, it’s pretty uncomfortable. You’re putting a lot on the line for ‘just’ an idea. Sacrifices have to be made, your mentality has to change, and those you surround yourself with have to be the people that will support you despite the falls and to remind you why you chose to go down this path.
Swallow your pride and ask for help
A piece of advice I will always stand by and that I try to instill in my team is; tap into your network. Ask your contacts for help whether they’re ex-colleagues, ex-clients, ex-partners, ex-friends-colleagues-partner…
No doubt somewhere along the way you will have given someone a leg up, and you’ll be surprised how often people remember the small things you’ve done for them and their willingness to return the favour.
Use that network strategically for help, advice, introductions and support. And most importantly, make sure you continue to put yourself out there to carry on growing that network.
When I started TENZING, I found myself feeling that I had to start my network from scratch. No longer could I rely on big name brands to sit alongside my job title. Creating a network or building on an existing one can be a struggle, but finding people who are interested in your vision and will back you makes it all totally worth it.
Mistakes will be made – own them and learn from them
Running a business will always involve trial and error – you never know if something will work unless you try it out first.
For example, when I started TENZING I didn’t want to be the only one to benefit. I wanted everyone to feel free from hierarchy and I felt that important element to that philosophy was for my team to define their own salaries.
We communicated to our team the total pot of money we had for salary increases. After peer reviews people received a performance score, which from that everyone could say: I deserve that much money from the pot.
This ultimately became one of my lowest moments as a founder, the whole concept didn’t work. I didn’t realise the incredibly tricky psychological side of choosing your own salary. Naturally, everyone worried about taking too little or too much of the pie. It began to affect everyone’s mindset – so we got rid of the idea.
If something does work, it’s important to to acknowledge it face-on. This allows you to learn from it and find a better system moving forward.