Lessons from Year 23
I wrote this reflection on my 24th birthday. Looking back, I've come a long way since then. Preserving it here so I remember where I started and where I'm going next.
Lessons from Year 23
Today I turned 24, capping off the most eventful year of my life.
From 23-24 I:
- graduated from university.
- took my first company from 0-1
- transitioned from founder to growth marketer
Here's a quick recap of the past year & the top 5 lessons I learned.
Backstory
I started off the year at a transition period in my life.
I had spent the past 1.5 years pitching an idea for a fitness tech startup to help personal trainers effectively manage their clients remotely.With the help of my 2 co-founders, we launched a beta & got our first users. When we got into the Next36 program by Next Canada in summer of 2019, I dropped out of school with two classes left to launch the company. We raised a small pre-seed round and decided to go full time for a year since we had limited risk and thought we were on to something.
Soon after, we joined a Canadian incubator called the Ryerson DMZ pitched at a few events and even got our first feature in Forbes. But as with any startup, there were a lot of ups and downs. I struggled with impostor syndrome and constantly questioned my place in the world.
Looking back, I genuinely thought my first business was my calling. I was an athlete (former McGill varsity bball) building a fitness tech company and no one could tell me otherwise. I even got certified as a personal trainer so I could intimately understand our customers.
This played a huge role in shaping my identity. I spoke on panels, shared my story with up and coming founders and I thought I was "doing this entrepreneurship thing" right.
The issue was my personal alignment.
I felt I was straddling 2 lives and when things didn't take off right away, I started taking 1 remote class per semester to wrap up my degree. Despite the changing value of a university degree, I'm grateful I finished as it allowed me to close that chapter of my life for good.
We continued to make progress with the company throughout 2020. I led our marketing efforts and fell in love with growth after going through the Demand Curve course. We also participated in multiple programs including the Envision Accelerator & ODF5 from On Deck.
But something was still missing.
Throughout ODF, I reflected on what I wanted to do next and decided to interview for a growth role given their inspiring vision and my newfound passion for the field.
I got the offer in December & the rest is history.
As you can see, the past year was a huge inflection point in my personal and professional life.
Oh, and I forgot to mention it all happened during a global pandemic.
On that note, here are the top 5 lessons I learned going from 23 to 24:
#1: Be your authentic self at all times.
Last year, I spent a lot of time and energy maintaining a front.
I was constantly pitching myself and my business, trying to make it seem like I had everything figured out.
It's far easier to be 100% you at all times. No one else can.
#2: Priority > Productivity
Last year, I had a ton of competing priorities.
My daily to-do list included studying for classes, getting customers, raising money, and networking.
But true results only came in any area when I focused exclusively on "one thing".
Less is more.
#3: Master a craft
I compare being a founder to a jack-of-all-trades.
You learn a ton about all aspects of business but don't go deep on most things.
I've now shifted my focus to honing hard skills like copywriting & data analysis so I can improve daily as a marketer.
#4: Ask for help
As a former CEO, I believed I always had to have the answer to any problem we faced.
I couldn't have been further from the truth.
Sharing your struggles openly lets you seek out the best resources or people to solve the problem.
#5: Fall in love with the process
I've always felt in a rush to reach my goals. I looked up to other founders and thought I had no time to waste.
But real success comes from sustained effort over time.
Everyone is at a different point in their journey. Fall in love with yours.
Thanks for reading to the end! Hope my takeaways help you on your own unique path.
- EB