Tests of endurance in unicorn building

In the business of rapid scale, it seems like every startup must go through a few tests. I have seen it happen with every company I worked for, in the ones I started and now, in our investments.

Building a successful organization requires real, daily sacrifice. This has nothing to deal with "hustle-porn". It is about the daily situations everyone faces when going for the top ranks.

A few examples of endurance tests you will certainly face:

• One of your co-founders might post inside in a non-private group, without a heads up: "I'm thinking about becoming an advisor and taking a step back."
• You lose an executive that everyone loves. A person with high-morale and respect has decided to go work for a competitor.
• The round of financing that was on the verge of completion is gone. By the way, you mentioned in the last all-hands that Series B is almost done, and people celebrated.
• You get a lawsuit. Any suit, but this one, in particular, isn't your fault and they have more resources and better lawyers.
• You lose your largest customer. The darling of your case studies. Or worse: they closed with your biggest competitor. Guess who closed the deal? The exec you lost a few months ago.

You must understand that in life, everything will pass.

Regardless of how difficult the present situation is, the best prevail. There are days that the most important thing is to expand, be aggressive, and grow.

There are days in which you are better off focusing on survival.

Understand that the loss of a client or a co-founder/partner is painful, but it does not represent death.

We die and are born again daily.

You must have self-reliance and reinvent yourself.

If you depend on others to find peace and achieve your mission, you are already dead.

Be well and be alive. Fight a good fight.