Everyone knows that a startup needs a plan. A napkin sketch, a roadmap, a growth chart. A plan of some kind, that will probably be wrong… but still, a plan. What if that plan was in the form of a letter to your startup? A letter than outlines your hopes and dreams of the business in 1 year, 5 years, maybe even 10 years? What would that letter look like?
Well for starters (pun intended) you will probably land on your value proposition somewhere between Dear Startup and Sincerely, Your Founder. And that’s why I think this is a good exercise. Letters tend to come from a place where emotion is pure. Letters tend to come from the heart. And they’re kind of a lost art if we’re being honest. When is the last time you wrote a letter to someone? With a pen and paper? Over email? On a typewriter? Well, here’s your chance. Take out your writing tool of choice and start to write the letter.
What do you hope that your startup achieves?
What scares you the most about taking the leap into this business?
What do you believe your obstacles to success are // will be?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt about STARTING something. I worked hard at my desk jobs. I worked at my reputation. I showed up every day. But it wasn’t enough! I knew I wanted to do something of my own. And I kept that in the back of my mind, day after day, for yeeeeaarssss. I think, all those years, what held me back from taking the leap was FEAR of FAILURE. What would I do if I quit my job and went broke? What would I do if people didn’t want to work with me? What if I was good at most things, but not great at ONE THING? And what if people didn’t believe in my unique value? I was afraid of being laughed at. Being shrugged off. I was afraid of what other people would think of me.
I had not been a writer in my professional life. I was a business development professional. I grew digital audiences for brands like NBC Sports, Toyota and the NHL. But I had always been a writer in my heart. And that is what I wanted more than anything else. I wanted to be a writer and an educator. And when I happened to have an opportunity to part ways with my employer on good terms… (Remember the Comcast / NBC merger? Yup, I got paid a severance to part ways with the mothership peacefully…) I knew this was my chance, and I knew I had to take it!
“I think, all those years, what held me back from taking the leap was FEAR of FAILURE. I WAS AFRAID OF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WOULD THINK OF ME. ”
After doing a writing test for Sports Business Journal, I’ll never forget when the executive editor said to me, “You know your stuff. Your pieces write well. Send me some more ideas.” Ha! This was a big moment for me. Someone who knew A WHOLE LOT OF SOMETHING about writing told me that my stuff was good! I never looked back from there. I wrote for SBJ for three years as a contributor. I taught courses at universities about digital sports media and audience development. I hustled my BUTT OFF. At one point, I was teaching four courses at a time, filing a weekly piece to SBJ and raising two young kids! (Bless my husband for his patience and support during this time.)
But the hard work paid off. And it ultimately lead me to where I am today. MY startup, which I poured my life into for years, finally came into reality in 2018. The vision was always there. But the WORK was what brought me to the moment of clarity — the value proposition — content strategy for sports tech startups. My unique experience created this business for me. Well, that and an undying drive to own a business.
And so… that’s MY story.
WHAT IS YOUR STORY? WHAT IS YOUR VISION?
Take the time to write it down. In the form of a letter to YOUR startup. Where do you want your efforts to take you — this year, in five years, ten years? And why are you doing it? Do you want to gain financial freedom? Do you want to be able to pay for your kids to take piano lessons? (That $hit is expensive! Thanks Mom!) But seriously, think about it!
And maybe since a letter is a brief-ish written note to your beloved startup, you won’t hedge. You won’t think about the justification or the market size or the numbers and figures that eventually will need to be in your pitch deck. Put that powerpoint deck away for an hour, would you?? Just write from the heart and be honest with yourself. Your startup is going to be the love of your life for the next few years (if you survive) and so give it some written love. I think you’ll enjoy it. And by the way, when you’re done, you’ll totally have yourself a blog post! Or even a series of them! One that will be as fulfilling to you as it is beneficial to your business!
Oh, and if you need a little push in getting started with this writing exercise, take a gander at my guide to creating a content series that SELLS for your business. You’ll be glad you did!
Next: Why great content is key to building startup street cred.
