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We’ve gathered insights from three Austin startup founders -- actually, four, since one of the companies we reached out to has two co-founders, both of whom were eager to tell us the most important things things they’ve figured out while working to get their companies up and running. Each gave us their top three lessons learned. All things considered, that’s twelve lessons total — plenty of smart advice to take to heart when building a brand from scratch.
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Peter Li and Mike Kasparian of Atlas Wearables
Atlas Wearables develops next-level wearable fitness technology that goes far beyond the typical heart rate/step-tracking models we’ve grown accustomed to. Co-founders Peter Li and Mike Kasparian, the CEO and CTO, respectively, shared their top three lessons learned right in the thick of things.
From Peter:
1. Clarity. “When analyzing decisions, take a step back and consider the opposite perspectives.”
2. Persistence. “Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.”
3: Passion. “It's going to be hard, so it helps if you love what you do.”
From Mike:
1. A founder needs to wear a lot of hats. You can't survive by just being good at one thing.
2. In the early stages, don't get bogged down in making your product robust; utilize any and all shortcuts to make your minimum viable product (don't reinvent the wheel!), and as you grow, you can slowly make improvements, but it's always a balance.
3. Startups don't have unlimited resources; pick your battles & find your niche.
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Chris Connell of Kwelia
Next, we heard from Chris Connell, Co-founder and Chief Data Scientist at Kwelia, a company using Big Data and quantitative analysis to compile competitive intelligence in the real estate realm. Here, Chris’s top three lessons learned:
1. Learn to manage expectations. Startup life is full of high and lows, with people promising the world or completely picking you apart. Without moderating emotion, you'll go nuts.
2. However long you think something is going to take, quadruple it, because EVERYTHING takes a lot longer or creates more problems than expected
3. Learn to let go. There are so many obstacles out of your control. Going with the flow and letting time take its course is key.
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Jagath Narayan of Ordoro Inc.
Jagath Narayan, the CEO and co-founder of Ordoro Inc., offers a shipping app with built-in inventory management, making life easier for companies with order fulfillment needs. Here, Jagath gives his top three insights:
1. Your team is the most important ingredient of your startup. Startup life is intense, and requires total commitment for years to come. Not everyone can do it, so choose your teammates wisely.
2. Surround yourselves with smart people. You cannot build a startup in isolation because business building at the end of the day is all about human relationships. Reach out to people and seek help. Also, offer help to those who need it. Good karma always flows back to you.
3. There is no silver bullet answer to most real problems. So keep iterating, keep making small improvements and/or big changes. That's how you discover the secret levers of growth.
Have a tip for us or know of a company that deserves coverage? Email us via [email protected]
