Starting a business is no easy accomplishment, for anyone. An old interview with Steve Jobs, while starting NEXT, highlighted this exact statement because he said "I forgot how hard it is to start a business after Apple. You have to buy the coffee pot, set up paperwork, etc...".
So we wanted to have a quick chat with operating partner Jon Butler about starting a business, some challenges and any other insight he could offer to other fellow entrepreneurs or business owners.
Starting a business will instantly showcase many challenges that require you to overcome. We wanted to know what were some of the biggest challenges that Jon faced when starting Grand Apps.
"The world conditions you to do just enough. Just enough to get by, just enough not to get fired...if you work too hard, some people even get mad at you because you are not doing the 'norm'. It was hard to break out of that lifestyle. To start doing more than what is expected, more than just what you are paid to do."
We were also curious as to why he started a company. What was that tipping point that pushed him over the edge to jump all in and fully commit to building a business.
"I loved the idea of having no ceilings on my potential. Playing a crucial part in creating the atmosphere that I worked in everyday was a huge selling point to me."
With the "just enough" mentality removed & the strive for limitless achievement with no celiengs, we wanted to know what he would tell his younger self starting out (if he could go back in time).
"If you are not willing to leave at the end of the day and say to yourself 'that is the hardest I could have worked today, there is no way I could have worked any harder'. If you can't say that, do not even bother coming in."
So as we continue, we wanted to see what were some unforeseen challenges he faced starting out. Many entrepreneurs try to calculate every small detail and problem that could be faced, but honestly there are many you can't see until they happen. So we wanted to see what were a few challenges Jon faced he didn't expect.
"Don't let the small stuff hold you back of get you down. What I mean is don't get upset about the internet going down, about a client missing a meeting or being stuck on hold with tech support for 40 minutes. I never thought about all the small problems that you can have day in and day out. If you let the small stuff build up and bring you down, it makes the job a lot less fun. Basically don't sweat the small stuff!"
As we wrap up here, we wanted just two more things from him. 1) any last words of wisdom & 2) best tip he has ever received.
" Failure > Fear - Don't ever be too afraid to fail. Also, no advice is bad advice. Even if you don't necessarily agree, you never know when that tip will come in handy. Always ask successful people for advice."
We hope you all found this information useful! Starting a business is very challenging mentally and physically. Basically do more than expected, don't sweat the small stuff & never be afraid to fail. Take the bull by the horns and go start creating your dreams.