What is the secret to startup success? VC Martin Casado, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, told a standing-room-only crowd at TechCrunch Disrupt last week that this is a departure from the trend supported by many Silicon Valley founders.
Before joining the prestigious venture capital firm, Mr. Casado founded two companies, including network infrastructure company Nicira, which he sold to VMware for $1.25 billion. When asked for advice on achieving success, he cautioned founders to be wary of trends in “hustle culture.”
“Silicon Valley is very high performing, right? There's a lot of 'doing a startup' and doing the 'right thing' and being part of a cultural club and networking,” he said. “It's good to hear about all the hustle and craziness. And feel free to go ahead and think about it. But if you're doing a startup, you should really focus on your mental health.” is.”
For example, many founders are “focused on how to be as productive as possible that day,” he says. They script their day. He explains that he wakes up at 5 a.m., eats certain foods, exercises, and “fasts several times.”
Plus, there are productivity hacks like “Eat the Frog” where you do your least favorite task every morning. Pomodoro technique. Work in 25 minute increments with 5 minute breaks in between. There are countless other trends as well.
“I don't think any of them have had a serious impact. I think the most important thing is to just do things,” Casado advises.
Instead of having a stiff day, say something like, “Startups are so hard and you, the founder, are so traumatized that I think you actually need to do the opposite… just stay sane and stay sane. Focus on taking care of yourself.”
That might mean “sleeping in and eating fast food,” he says. Founders need to understand that success will likely take years and there is no guarantee of success. Hacking your lifestyle to meet a looming deadline doesn't guarantee it will become a lifestyle habit you can stick with for years.
“Things always take longer than expected, and I think the people who actually focus solely on their own well-being are the ones who survive,” he said. “If we can survive, we will have a chance to win in the end.”