I’m Impatiently Patient
Uh, what?
Yep, you read that right.
Being an entrepreneur takes having both extreme impatience and patience at the same time. Being impatient with daily tasks, while patient with attaining larger business goals.
When we started Cave, the ideas of rapid growth, signing clients like Nike or Pepsi and a big office with ping pong tables consumed my thoughts.
However, the reality was my cofounders and I working out my bedroom, making small checks and growing slowly — this wasn’t fun. It was a grind. Unlike many companies, we didn’t take any funding to start out(other than my $2500 student loan), this meant the big offices were going to have to wait.
But I want it now.
The mantra, “fake it until you make it,” is bullshit. It fuels unrealistic expectations and causes feelings of inferiority when things aren’t going well, fast enough. Authenticity is extremely underrated.
This form of impatience is unhealthy and unproductive. Dreaming about having a big/successful company is the equivalent of sitting around thinking about winning the lotto — it helps no one.
Doing wins every time over dreaming.
Then my mindset shifted.
I needed to be impatient, but only towards things worth being impatient for. This meant get tasks done quickly, deliver on projects for clients, and leave time to create content for ourselves. We attack each day at work, doing things that drive the company forward.
I also needed to be patient. Big offices, fancy conference rooms, and large checks don’t come overnight or from one blog post. They come from putting in the work, day-in and day-out, because of a deep belief in what you’re doing is setting you up for future success. Nobody gets a six-pack after one sit up, and nobody builds a successful business overnight.
We’re hungry as hell but we also realize being full takes a long time.
This means playing a 30-year game, not a 3-month game. And no, we’re not landing accounts like Nike or Pepsi nor are our offices glamorous — yet. I’m okay with waiting for those because we’re building a company we want to build, not one driven by anyone else.
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