Landed a new client last Monday. Hurray!
Lost a client on Tuesday because they are changing directions. Boo!
Lost another client Thursday because they shut down. Ugh!
Landed a new client on Friday. Um, yay? Maybe?
It is impossible to not feel distress or enthusiasm in the moment as these things happen. We're human.
I struggled mightily with this when I was a startup CEO because I tied my self worth to the success or failure of my companies. Any small signal immediately got boosted into "I'm amazing" or "I'm a failure" and it's hard to stay grounded when you're self image ping pongs between two polar opposites multiple times in a week (or even day).
Even after I had a successful exit, I still lived in extremes on a daily basis when running subsequent startups. It suhhhhked.
Founders and CEOs, please remember two important lessons:
1) The thing you are experiencing today probably has no meaningful impact on your startup.
Make a sale? Cool -- in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. Do it 20 times and it matters in aggregate.
Lose an employee. Bummer -- in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. Lose a bunch of employees? That matters.
2) You are not your startup.
You are not your startup. You are NOT your startup. You. Are. Not. Your. Startup. For the love of God, you are not your f*cking startup.
The ride can be thrilling. The ride can be terrifying. But it's just a ride. Don't overthink it.