Why I decided to start my own startup
After 4 years at Sears Israel (previously known as Delver), I felt like I’m ready for my next big challenge. These four years were the best years of my professional and personal life (got married to my amazing wife Shahaf). Professionally-wise, I grew and learned tremendously about myself, ranging from technology, business, team building and setting the “right culture” to be a part of. I was playing with the notion of starting my own startup for almost a year now, trying to imagine how it will be like, who will be part of it, what are we going to change in the world and how we’re going to get there. Reaching this decision wasn’t easy but surprisingly enough, it wasn’t hard as well. Why?
Predictable Worst Case
One of the earliest things I did was talking with my wife about this possible change. What does it mean financially for us? How many months can we live without an income on my side? What does it mean about our time spent together? What about re-location (if needed)? What about the right time to have our first child?
We tried to create a predictable worst case. Is it perfect? Do we have all the answers for all possible scenarios? Hell no! Both Shahaf and I are extremely nervous but also super excited and willing to give it a try. I did the same process with my best friend & co-founder Aviel Lazar (@aviellazar). We are 50-50 in everything and as such, we talked about the big questions: what kind of company are we trying to build? When should we raise money? We hit hard many other questions that made us as shaky as a drug addict (I recommend Lior Gorssman‘s Co-Founders Expectations Alignment).
Talking with my wife and my partner about things that scare us most, doesn’t mean we got it all figured out. We need to work as hard on our relationship just as we’re working on our dreams. It’s matter of setting expectations and having the willingness to work hard, on a daily basis, to make it work. Doing this mental and verbal work made my predictable worst case something I can understand and cope with now.
Unknown BEST Case
Who can say where this journey will take us from here? Just thinking of the idea that millions of people will use something I was part of makes me smile like a silly teenager at the mall. The up side of this bumpy ride may lead us to amazing places such as:
- Meeting interesting people I could never approach or fully understand till now.
- Making an impact on the world, having real people enjoying things I envisioned and crafted.
- Nice ex$t.
- WHO THE HELL KNOWS!!
How can afford myself to let go this opportunity?
Learn More About Myself
We’re 2 people right now, so it’s us against the world baby! There is no backing off, no one to point a finger at, no one to wait for. I love the pressure and the urgency the startup world comes with and I would love to see how I will shape my thoughts and believes around it. Can I bounce back on my feet after a failure? Can I hire the right key players? Can I make the right business/technological/marketing decisions? Can I learn new skills-set quickly? Can I make the people around me better? Can I convey the vision I have?
Both Aviel and I are focused on these questions, trying to support each other and stay honest. There is no better way to learn about your true-self other than putting the pressure and constantly shifting reality. I might not like what I will see, but this is why I picked great partners in life to balance me back.
Building the company I always dreamed of
Since the age of 23, when I joined Delver, I dreamed of building a company. I constantly thought about the attitude, the structure, the people, the process and what we are trying to achieve. Five years from now, if one of my employees will leave our company to open his own startup and thank me for his time at the company, man, I WILL BE SO HAPPY! Building a company that will spawn other companies is something I will be extremely proud of. Thank you Delver for being such a company for me!
The dream of my life is starting now, wish me luck ;)
p.s – join our private invite list, we’re launching soon! http://Maddit.com/?ref=lnb