Having been involved in many startups over the years, including Priceline.com pre-IPO, there are many facts that people rarely talk about. In fact, startup life has become shrouded in myth and most people think it's a shortcut to the American Dream or some get-rich-quick path.
But for most of us, startup life is far harsher and more complicated. 70-hour weeks are the baseline, weekends-off are far and few between and with a fail rate of over 90%, precision at every turn is essential. Not only are the keys on my keyboard getting worn out, but so is the paint on my desk where my wrists lay as I type for 16-18 hours per day (see attached image). This kind of animal is not for everyone, especially during the first year or two and for those looking for traditional compensation packages or some sort quality of life outside of work...please...just keep moving along.
So why we do we do this? One word: PASSION. We like to create things. Especially things that no one has done before. We are delusional enough to think we can introduce something new and change industries that are deeply rooted in antiquated busines models that go back decades or longer. Simply put, we like to move the needle on the status quo and it gets even more interesting when you have colleagues and close friends whose opinion you trust, tell you that you are delusional. And when that PASSION is fueled by a realistic VISION:
Game on.
Virtual First Inc was conceived in late 2017 and began operations in 2018. Less than a year ago (before Covid) we had early stage product demonstrations with the innovation teams at multi-national, multibillion-dollar healthcare organizations who seemingly loved our designs but thought our vision was out of reach or, to use exact terms “a bit futuristic”. Through passion rooted in vision, the future is here today and 9 months later we are preparing to pilot our revolutionary technology in a number of healthcare providers in the US.
Now sitting along with PASSION and VISION, at the foundation of it all, are planning, innovation, perseverance and hard work. And it must start from the top. While it's true that all early employees must contain these key attributes: Professional, Reliable, Approachable, Creative, Authentic, Evolutionary, Empathetic, Inclusive, Dedicated, Customer Centric, Helpful (to name just a few) … there are 3 pillars of a startup’s culture that are essential:
· Communication
· Collaboration
· Trust
If you’re missing anyone of these 3, it’s going to be a short day at the office (or wherever you are working from). And even when everything is firing on all cylinders, there will be good days filled with success and bad days filled with setbacks. But when the DNA of your organization is flush with Communication, Collaboration and Trust…there is nothing that can’t be accomplished. It makes the pain of long hours bearable, creates a comradery that is difficult to explain unless you are living it and most importantly, it’s also what our country needs most at this moment in time.
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