Personal growth question — as someone who has grow...
# ask-a-growth-questionh
Harris Nghiem
11/09/2022, 4:47 AMPersonal growth question — as someone who has grown and exited a company, how do you deal with the slow-paced life post start-up life? I find myself constantly wanting to start another project or buy an existing. I can’t sit still! I’ve offered free consulting to smaller businesses through my network but everyone thinks I’m trying to sell them something. The idea of talking business, dealing with competitiveness, and brainstorming with a team is something I dearly miss. I can’t talk to any of my previous 40 plus employees that went with the sale of my company, so I have a void to fill.
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Donovan
11/09/2022, 4:49 AMOngoing mentorship of others. Create challenges, make long-term commitments. Have a group of people leveling-up all the time because you just cannot help yourself. Same page here Harris.
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Harris Nghiem
11/09/2022, 4:50 AMI’m a mentor to some younger friends and family. One just bought a vending machine business, another just took over a zombie SEO site that I owned way back when. I’m helping them grow it, learn business side of it, do accounting, etc etc etc. it’s not enough.
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Donovan
11/09/2022, 4:51 AMThat is coaching. I mean breaking down top performers and reshaping them as the absolute best version of themselves, and ideally working on something with them. It also helps to be content in some facet of life so it's not all frenetic, but I do not mean superficial "help" I mean breaking and reshaping people as committed as you.
Donovan
11/09/2022, 5:08 AMUpdating here from `DM`:
I would add/clarify that mentorship, real-life reshaping of others and being reshaped, comes down to meaning. It hinges on real challenges.
A lot of the insanely gifted but almost haunted CEOs I know are like an engine at 7,000 RPM without the clutch down. There is a difference as you probably know between activity and movement. To really "feel tired out" in that good way, your challenge needs to completely break what you believe is possible, convince someone other than yourself you can do it, after you see through the limits, and then blast through the wall. Make a real change that takes a part of who you are to even attempt, and then feel the weight of the world on your shoulders enough to die happy every day, and just be in disbelief you even made it back to the bedroom in one piece.
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Randy Chai
11/09/2022, 7:12 AMHey Harris, if you still have the hunger, drive, discipline, and willingness to spend at least 50+ hours weekly building and getting your hands dirty then please come back to entrepreneurship!
If not, being a full-time angel investor (do like 5 to 10 deals yearly) can get you skin in the game, relive and rekindle the joys, excitement and pain of entrepreneurship especially when you’re going through periodic check-ins with founders from your portfolio companies