I saw the advertisements go out. 2015 nMotion Accelerator program… apply now. That got me thinking. It has been about 6 months since I stood in front of a crowd of 400 people for demo day. 6 months since I graduated from an accelerator and leaped feet first back into life.
I wrote about what I had learned about the accelerator right after demo day here. As I re-read that post, I realized that I have had some other revelations since then. Life altering ones for me.
1. Get over yourself. It’s still not about you.
I have had the opportunity to talk to a lot of entrepreneurs since the accelerator about customer development calls. Some seasoned, some new, but all with the misconception that they need to walk into the customer development call with a script that will dictate exactly what is asked and there will be no deviation from the script. There is no script folks. There is one question. Your first question. You ask that question and you follow the rabbit down the hole to see where he takes you. You can’t control that rabbit, he is free to go, do and say what he wants. Your customer is that rabbit and the more you restrict his freedom to give you the insight you really need to hear, the more you will lose the race.
2. Everything that is… is
If you exit your accelerator and get funding quickly, GREAT. Congratulations. You deserve a huge pat on your back! If you, like many before you, exit the accelerator and funding is as elusive as Big Foot, well, prepare yourself for the 7 stages of grief. I went through it. I screamed with shock and stomped my feet in denial. My heart ached and I questioned my commitment and kept thinking I just didn’t work hard enough. I grew angrier and angrier and would have made a deal with the devil had he offered. I mapped out where the newest crossroad was, but didn’t have the energy to drive that far. The sadness set in. I started withdrawing from friends and family and it finally sets in that this is… what it is. You start to make a plan B, because everyone should have a plan B (and C and D and E) and eventually you have a plan. Bootstrapping, borrowing from friends and family, moving on and trying something else. Whatever it is, you will need to feel the 7 stages of grief to get there.
3. Respect thy mentor
If I can tell you one thing, it is this. STOP BEING LATE TO EVERYTHING! It is not cute. It is not hip. It is not acceptable. It is rude. It is wasting other’s time. It is irresponsible. Even worse… when you are late to meet a mentor. I’ve had the opportunity to mentor several people since the accelerator and some are prompt and courteous and I love that group. But there are others who have found it acceptable to be late to appointments or worse, just blow them off completely. Your mentors time is valuable. You have been given an opportunity and privilege to be mentored by them. Show them and their time respect. Know that you want to ask them when you get together and be on time. Don’t do these things, you may find that your mentor just doesn’t have the time for you anymore.
4. You will grow
Recently, I went back and watched the video that I submitted for the accelerator and I cringed. My friend, who did not know me at that time, watched with me and was a little taken aback at the person in that video. I was petrified. Scared. Timid. Mortified. I wanted to turn off the camera and say “this isn’t worth it”.
I’m not that person anymore. I have grown so much, personally, emotionally, professionally. I’m still growing. But I will never be that girl in the video again. No 7 stages of grief on that revelation.