She pointed me to the other side. Unfortunately, the "other platform" was for regional trains only. My 30 Euro ticket was supposed to be an express one. But because of common rail delays, it was running 15 mins late.
Even the printed train schedule on the signpost listed Riga listed a departure time difference. It was only 3 minutes from the ticket's time. Close enough, I thought.
Leaving my bags, I head to the front of the train for help. I don't see anyone. The adjacent 4-5 cars were empty. I quickly realized that this was the regional train with a knot in my stomach. After a few more stops, I knew I would have at least 8 more stops to go. Definitely missing my transfer in 30 minutes.
Accepting my fate, I sat back down and enjoyed all the little towns and cows I saw along the way.
Switzerland's land of Ski Resorts
After my transfer from Brig to Riga, I noticed a big contrast between the surroundings and passengers. This was ski country and early season, so many were going there for a weekend getaway. The Swiss trains were noticeably cleaner, quieter, and better staffed. Young train staff wore satchels, serving as mobile kiosks with point-of-sale card readers around their necks.
On the train, I received an Airbnb text from my host after I told him I'd be an hour behind.
The text reads: "no problem. hey, do you still want to go paragliding?"
My host knew a local guide who could often take his guests up if the weather was clear. Days before, he cautioned this was only if the winds were favorable. Apparently, fate wanted me to go fly that day.
Scaling the Startup - one part grit, two parts Audacity.
Anyone can pay for a magnet or postcard at the shiny tourist shop. The rich come to the ski resort town of Zermatt and take a lift ticket to the top. Reaching it on foot, as one of my Stanford mentors did as a youth, is another matter. Fundraising angel or seed capital rounds takes enormous perseverance in facing repeated hurdles, uncertainty, and rejection.
With group vacation planning over the years, I had wasted so much time. Pitching, explaining, educating, and then trying to persuade others to bring them along.
Change is hard. New is risky.
Many desire the glitter of glory with rainbows and unicorns.
However, most either have no appetite for the grind or the stomach for risk.
Don't ride with someone unless they clearly show you both.
In our social media world, daily IG travelers live vicariously through the photos or comments of others. To truly separate between the hype and the reality requires you to put boots on the ground with due diligence.
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| CES 2023 Eureka Park - Gallery of Flops - the Startup Graveyard |
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” - Beckett
Why is the first MVP only the first of many iterations. But you need to start somewhere.
Do you need funding before launching? Even picking the "easy fruit" among the 3 F's: Friends, Family, and Fools, relatively few ideas actually make it out of the base camp. You must be ready to hit many road bumps in those first few months. Adapting, learning, adjusting, and rolling with the punches.
How many strangers or VCs will take the plunge with you? Less than 10% get sustainable funding. Will you continue to iterate, test, fail, and repeat as long as it takes?
The "Desert of no Traction" - the Saraha of startups.
This period tests the Founder's heart. After the honeymoon phase, there are sometimes long lulls. Weeks or months where revenue flatlines. You are sometimes blinded with no KPIs to find directional progress.
At that point, you can only put one foot in front of the other - day in and day out. Until you finally hike it out alive or your cash tank runs dry. This is the sacred test of the Soul of a start-up.
Beware of false promises - the checks that can't be cashed.
Some will tell you that your idea sounds good when you're presenting. Then disappear. Nobody doubts your conviction. But when it comes to crunch time, how many would put down their own money to go on that one-way ticket with you? How small things are handled is often a microcosm of the large.
Don't listen to the naysayers and fearmongers.Anchors are everywhere - ready to ground you down to their level.
Prepare for people ready to tell you it won't work and why you're crazy.
"People don't like change, and your new start-up is a change." - LevineWhat you need to find are the light feathers for Wings.Build a solid team that reinforces the other like bonding glue.
It takes a leap of faith, some luck, and being able to endure the long ride.
It takes weeks, months, and even in my case, years to map out the route and get close to VC investing. The "small fortune" you need to spend just to arrive is an obstacle for most and a barrier to entry for all but accredited investors. Sifting the wheat from the chaff.
You must risk stepping off the safe path and forge into the wild.
The secrets of real discovery await you in these dark woods (of Tal).
"The door is going to open for a slipt second.
Whether you choose to jump through it or not, it's not going to be there very long."
- James Cameron (MasterClass)
The Climber doesn't get to pick the date - it's the date that selects the climber...
Before the trip, I saw the 14-day forecast had a 25% chance of making a launch window.
Often, the forecast is grey with a rainy mix of gloom in November.
Study the forecasts and have a backup route when things go wrong.
Always understand the odds - even if you choose to ignore them.
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