What To Do Next -- Start-Up CEOs Lonely Dilemma

One of the problems of being a seed stage start-up CEO is that no one is really telling you what to next. Generally boards of seed stage companies are either non-existent or pretty passive. Often there are "active" angel investors, and/or microfunds involved, but they usually have so many investments that they are more reactive than proactive.

The problem I am highlighting is felt the most by CEOs who are not coding -- which unfortunately is my reality (although just signed up for Ruby on Rails course). I know enough about coding to be dangerous but not enough to really help...when coding at least after there is agreed spec goals are defined.

Of course can spend time in promotion, marketing, thought leadership, long term planning, budgeting, admin, HR, corporate finance, team empowering, and more -- no lack of things to do. And each of those things could easily fill 20 hours a day and more. Of course some are incredible on managing their time, on their own, and can set for themselves goals, task lists, in other words managing themselves. I am pretty good at all of that -- and often excel at it. But all of those skills and tools don't ameliorate the fact there is only one person "telling" you what to do next -- you.

The position is essentially a lonely one -- there is no one really setting an agenda, reviewing achievements. You can seek out praise and feedback, but it doesn't naturally come to you.

In the past I have written about the seed-stage start-up CEO as a benevolent dictator, which inherently is not a warm and fuzzy role -- to get warm and fuzzy you need your team to reflect it back to you.

In a distributed work force the problem is more acute -- often you are really alone (physically). Sure can engage on ______ (name your favorite social networking platform) but that still has not replaced the water-cooler effect.

And yes there are endless team collaboration tools (some better than others, see Zula) but they are only as good as the use you make of them. And again, event the best is still a tool for bridging the gaps -- but gaps remain.

Is there a way to be less lonely? Sure, but takes pushing yourself. Engage your investors more, make them feel like you really are listening to them -- so while not a formal board the communication is two way. Create forums for shareholders to connect on a regular basis. Take on a mentor. Schedule regular mentorship time (no matter how experienced we all could use help from someone not ourselves).

There is no magic formula -- the position is inherently lonely. So don't let yourself slip into endless FB/Twitter sessions -- you have work to do! You are supposed to lead! (talking to myself as well of course).

 

The Blessed Need for Physicality and Snow in Jerusalem

Today I was due to celebrate together with the Israeli wine industry -- it was going to be the first formal wine event I would attend as a partner in Jezreel Valley Winery. The event was scheduled to take place at the Crown Plaza hotel in Jerusalem. As half the Zula team lives in the Jerusalem area, I thought beautiful combination of Zula product meetings by day, wine event by night. (also was due to pick up cable to charge my electric car, but that's for another post).

And then in started snowing in Jerusalem. Every few years, same drill -- few snowflakes and the city stops. Close the highways! cancel school! Remain calm!

Truth be told, there is some sense in the hysteria, as Israeli drivers are, well, Israeli drivers to begin with, and putting slippery white stuff turning quickly to black grimy slush is not a good formula for safe roads in the nation's capital.

Zula staff stayed home. That's fine, we are a distributed work force to begin with, and we are developing solutions for teams to communicate when not sitting together -- so not such a big deal.

But a wine event with no people? The organizers took the decision to postpone to next week.

I did not travel to Jerusalem.

All of this is a reminder of how much the physical, the "real," plays a part in our seemingly almost completely virtual lives.

Could we have a virtual wine event where we all drink our wines at home and discuss? Perhaps, but with today's tech still can't pass a glass of wine over Facebook Messenger. Or WhatsApp. Or even Zula (but we are working on it!).

For some things we need to physically come together. To smell together, to taste together. To simply be together.

As someone who grew up in NY with plenty of snow, no need to rush to experience it. But for many Israelis snow is exotic, radically different reality. They will go in droves, wait hours in traffic -- just to throw a snowball. And God bless them. After all the Playstations, X-boxes, immersive games, virtual communities, we know that humans still desire the physical touch of a snowball. Make a snowman -- a real one, not on Miniclip.

Living my life on the balance between the virtual and the real, always nice when Nature comes along and reminds us that all fall at the feet of a few cm (inches) of snow in Jerusalem, the capital of the world.

May we be blessed to continue to treasure our humanity, even as maximize the use of tools like Zula, that help us keep the connection going when we are not sitting together. And we can chat about how the good the wine was that we drank together, and look forward to the next time we drink together.