Why a startup is a marathon, not a sprint

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

In business, just like in a marathon, you can run very fast, but if you choose the wrong strategy, you will not reach the finish line. Find out how running and business are alike and why in the latter you need to prepare for a marathon from the first days.

What running and business have in common

I remember the first time I got on the treadmill, I decided to run five kilometers straight away. The desire is huge, a surge of strength, an emotional upsurge. I ran it easily. The next day again. And on the third - only half. My legs did not bend, my knees hurt, I limped for several weeks. As you can imagine, I did not find myself on the track again soon: after more than a month.

When running, especially over long distances, it is important to maintain the same pace. A common mistake is to start quickly, waste all your energy and leave the race before you reach the end.

Therefore, in the process of training, the maximum speed with which you can finish is scrupulously selected. At first it seems ridiculous, but by the end it becomes exhausting. We must be prepared for the lightness and euphoria of the start to turn into hard work in the middle and the struggle for survival towards the end.

Also in startups. Sometimes teams do not sleep for months, create new functionality and strive to conquer the world. This is great. But you must definitely feel the edge when you can work at the limit of strength for a long time and not lose your ability to work.

The most wonderful thing about the emergence of new products and services is the feeling of euphoria and the desire to create another “iPhone killer”, “new Uber”, “perfect Facebook”.

But often the product doesn't take off the first time. Sometimes it does not take off for the second and third time … I often see the following picture: the developers caught fire with some fashionable technology, started working with it, but, having not achieved a quick result, switched to another breakthrough trend. A good quick start that didn't lead to the finish line.

It takes 5-10 years, but people still remain in place. Just don’t think that I’m urging you to calm down, drink smoothies and burn investors' money from the next seed round.

On the contrary, you need to be prepared to play for a long time.

How Marathon Principles Can Help Aspiring Entrepreneurs

There are several rules that beginner marathoners follow when preparing for the race, and they are fully applicable to business.

Rule 10%

This rule recommends gradually increasing the load, but no more than 10% from week to week. Some generally start out by walking or jogging for a few minutes a day. But it is important to practice regularly and often.

At the start, your goal is not to break records, but to adapt to increasing loads.

For a beginner in the first seven days, it is enough to run 30 kilometers in total. It is important not to get injured, not overstrain, leave time for family and hobbies.

This rule applies to businesses as well. We spend almost a third of our lives at work. Some are given to their favorite business without a trace, leaving family and friends outside the brackets. The result is stress, depression, and burnout.

It is important to find time for yourself and those who will be the first to share with you the bitterness of disappointment and the joy of victory. The family is a place of strength, a source of inspiration and emotional support. Successful people always have a solid backbone.

Alternative loads

At least once a week, a beginner marathon runner should engage in alternative sports: swimming, yoga, cycling, strength training.

The spine and joints will rest from the shock of the running load, but the body will continue to prepare for the competition.

In a business context, this means constantly expanding your horizons: reading books, scientific articles, notes - whatever may come in handy in the future. Alternate loading allows you to look at problems and solutions from different angles. And switching is also an effective tool to combat burnout.

Climber's rule

Any marathon runner sooner or later collides with a "wall". This frightening and unpleasant condition can occur at any stretch of the distance. The feeling that there is no strength for the next step, and a wild desire for this to end as soon as possible.

In spite of everything, you need to keep moving.

No matter how bad you feel, move forward. Gradually, the mind will become accustomed to stress, to the idea that minute by minute, hour by hour, you are approaching your goal.

Apathy and loss of strength are replaced by a second wind.

Marathon finish

Marathon runners often say that the finish line changes self-esteem: self-confidence appears, the belief that any obstacles are on the shoulder.

Before that happens, everyone has to overcome themselves. 42 kilometers 195 meters are simply not given. You need maximum concentration and dedication.

Before the finish, you have to give all the best for 200%. You need to be ready to accelerate where, it seems, there is no longer any strength for it.

In a startup, it's important to meet deadlines. Once you have determined a product release date, you cannot move it indefinitely. Of course, launching a non-working prototype is also not the case. Therefore, at some point you will have to demonstrate finishing acceleration.

Before and after the distance

Doubt about the success of your enterprise? For the chosen purpose? In itself?

Marathon runners also have several recommendations for this case.

1. Find like-minded people. Preparing for a marathon in a group is easier. Shared responsibility stimulates discipline. In addition, in a group, people are more willing to share knowledge, experience, and useful information. Transferring this to business, one could argue that by expanding the level of contacts, you strengthen the position of your startup. It is no coincidence that many entrepreneurs start a business with someone in partnership.
2. Find a mentor. A beginner runner's guru is a person who has successfully passed a marathon challenge. From the point of view of psychology, the help of such a person is priceless. This also applies to business. It is imperative that there is a person nearby who is able to adequately assess your potential and your commitments, who is able to criticize and make recommendations from the perspective of personal experience.
3. Find the right motivation. Often, people who have achieved a set goal think about what to do next. Putting on a new one or hanging your sneakers on a nail? After the first marathon, I took a break for almost a year. I could find a new hobby, but decided to look at the marathon from a different angle. There are so many picturesque marathon tracks in the world! This year I have planned to participate in six races: geography from Malta to Japan. It's a big goal that requires concentration and preparation, and it touches me emotionally. It is the same in business: having achieved the first results, it is important not to stop developing.

There are many examples in history when companies lost focus, and after it, their leadership positions. Such companies tend to leave the market.

Nokia Mobile, Sony Ericsson, Polaroid, Kodak - at some point in their history they seemed unshakable. The more painful was their fall.

You can't stand still.

In this context, I often recall the quote from "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll: "You need to run as fast just to stay in place, but to get somewhere, you must run at least twice as fast!"