1. Startup
PASSION
Smack-­‐Down
John Bradberry
S X SW
March 10, 2012
ReadyFounder Services, 2012 - All Rights Reserved Image by Joe Carr

2. #SXPassion

3. A FALSE
DICHOTOMY
Realism Passion

4. Strong
YOU
Passion
Weak Strong
Realism

5. Purpose
Understand
the double-edged
nature of
entrepreneurial
passion.

6. Purpose
Improve
your
venture’s
likelihood
of success.
Photograph by Alex Guillaume

7. DETERMINATION
COURAGE
FIRE
FAITH
HOPE
BELIEF
OPTIMISM
COMMITMENT
DRIVE
CONFIDENCE

8. You Can t Do It Without
PASSION

9. An Exploration
• 55 hours of interviews
• 51+ books
• 83 research papers
• 500+ online sites, blogs, magazines, etc.
• Filtered through 20+ years of personal
experience and observation

10. Intuit Survey
4
of
5
working
adults
dream
of
star>ng
their
own
business

11. Reality
Most ventures close
within 5 years of formation.
7 in 10 close within 10 years.

12. Reality
6 of 10 people who become self-
employed go back to work for
someone else within 10 years.

13. Reality
The typical business owner will
make 35% less over a 10-year
period than if he or she had
remained in their previous job

14. Reality
Business owners report longer
work hours and more stress,
fatigue, insomnia, depression,
and conflict with spouses.

15. WHY?

16. A Core Issue
+

18. Beliefs: “Neurologically Real”
Andrew Newberg

19. Via ZombieDoom.com

20. When New Data . . .
are perceived as TRUE

21. When New Data . . .
are perceived as FALSE

22. Confirmation Bias
Representativeness
Cognitive Biases
Anchoring
Illusion of
Sunk Cost Fallacy Control

23. The Passion Trap
Attachment
Attachment to
toan IDEA
an IDEA
Biased Investments
Interpretation & Actions
Feedback
& Results

24. 6
dangers
of
startup
passion

25. Founder Misalignment

26. Missing a Market

27. Rose-Colored Planning

28. Unforgiving Strategy

29. Reality Distortion

30. Evaporating Runway

31. Solutions

33. !41/25'%6! #$%&'(!
37! ")!
,-'./(012! #$(*!
33! +)!

35. Founder Fit
Purpose / Motivation
S k i l l s / E x p e ri e n c e
Personality
Support System
Focus / Performa nce

36. Rapid-Fire Assessment
!
All systems go. Great shape...
Some concerns, questions
Key gap or risk

38. Market Orientation
• Shape your venture the outside-in
• Attach to your market, not your idea
• An idea isn’t great until the market says it is
• Create and track “moments of truth”

39. Products and Needs are Inseparable
Need Product
Need

41. “Numbers Rule
the Universe”
Pythagorus

44. Levels of Iteration
Broad
Identity
Business Model
Scope / Impact
Strategy
Systems /
Processes
Products /
Services
Narrow
Features
Short Long
Cycle Time

45. STAMINA
STAYING POWER

46. Depressive
Realism

47. Earned
Optimism

48. w
w
w
.
R
e
a
d
y
F
o
u
n
d
e
r
.
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