The only startup advice i ever give
This post will make you smile.
I am sure of this because the subject of this post (our puppy Nico) is already our best sales guy and most loved teammate. I have no doubt readers will love him too.
Nico joined the team 6 months back and, if I’ve learned anything about startups, it’s this: get a puppy.
Puppies make teams happy
Puppies build culture
Puppies help you sell
Puppies make sure teams take breaks
Puppies get up early — and make sure you’re up early
Puppies never ask how things are going
Puppies like to celebrate the wins (or anything really)
Puppies stand by you
I can’t put into words how many day-to-day problems Nico solves for me. He recruits (Nico puts candidates at ease), gets users (want product feedback? He breaks the ice at the nearest coffee shop), and helps sell (we sell better when we’re happy, and Nico keeps the team happy)
He also builds camaraderie. Obviously, it’s easy to love puppies (I’m sure if I asked the team to choose between free food, desks or the puppy — we’d all be hungry & on the floor). But in retrospect there was something bigger about our early team aligning on a mission to make sure the puppy grew up. It’s seemed like a small thing, and none of us were conscious of it, but it was a powerful forcing function that that brought the team together.
Finally, Nico keeps me centered. Like most entrepreneurs, I err on the side of work. I never took breaks before he reminded me he had to go out; now that I do, I’m way more productive. Walks with him are one of the few ways I can get my mind off work and centered again. And at 3 am, when you can’t sleep, who else is gong to be up for playing catch?
At We Created It, I’m asked all the time about what advice you have on starting a company. Mainly, I’ve learned making something people want is hard. Getting users is hard. Getting to profitability is hard. Keeping your team happy is hard. Startups are hard.
So the only advice I give entrepreneurs who ask? Get a puppy & enjoy the journey.
Image: Nico, our startup puppy
This post was originally published in February 2014 on our company blog. It was the #1 post on Medium for stretch. We Created It is now part of LinkedIn.