Guelph startup hero Brydon Gillis has a great post on StartupNorth today which talks about vanity celebrations and defining success for startups.
The gist of it being:
We need to lead real conversations about what success is because it comes in many shapes and forms.
The article begins:
The moments we choose to celebrate say a lot about what we consider important. They’re a proxy for the metrics we value, because we’re signalling to others by their very celebration. And yet, I’ve always been of the belief that startups tend to celebrate the wrong things.
Instead of celebrating product launches, funding announcements, and winning pitch contests, Brydon challenges with a change in perspective:
Here’s an initial list of milestones and accomplishments worth celebrating to get you started.
- Performed 30 interviews with real potential users. First customer acquired.
- First customer acquired and you have no idea where they came from.
- Covering your monthly personal costs.
- Identifying the first product feature a potential customer will pay cash for.
Get in on this and other great startup discussions with Brydon and friends on the July 10 Startup Train from Guelph to Toronto to this year’s International Startup Festival in Montreal.