At Twish, my first startup, we had exhausted our first set of product ideas and leads without traction. I pinged one of my co-founders on Google chat and asked him what I should be working on. I got a very frustrated reply saying there were so many things to figure out – new product ideas, new leads, new everything. Why was I asking him this question?
It’s then that the realization hit me that I was no longer an employee who would get tasks to perform or a student doing prescribed coursework. I was a founder with a blank canvas. I had to decide what to paint on it. This was a massive shift in orientation for me and initially very uncomfortable. However, once I unshackled myself of the need to be given direction, I discovered the freedom to do the things I thought were most important. Ideas started flowing and I felt a new energy I didn’t earlier.
I’ve taken this founder orientation with me in whatever I’ve done since. For most of my career, I’ve helped build companies that are making something new and figuring out their business model. My mindset of figuring out the right things to do with little to no guidance or precedence has made me a valuable asset for these companies.