Leaving my bags there, I headed to the front of the train for help. I don't see anyone. I needed to get off! Maybe I could still run back to the station and get back in time? With my luggage too? No way.
Hopping forward, the train's next adjacent 4-5 cars were equally vacant. I slid open cart doors, one after another. All identical. Empty. With a knot in my stomach, I quickly realized that this was the regional train! It would require at least 8 more stops to go. Definitely missing my transfer in 30 minutes.
There, he pointed at the much newer, much faster, speeding white blur that was my train overtaking us. I thought the tortoise always wins?
My best option was to stay on until the main station.
I could rebook once I arrived at the main junction town of Domodossola.
Accepting my fate, I sat back down and enjoyed all the little towns and cows along the way.
Switzerland's Ride to Ski Resorts
After my transfer from Brig to Riga, I noticed a big contrast between the surroundings.
This was Swiss ski country!
It was still early in the season, yet so many passengers were going there for a weekend mountain getaway.
The Italian train staff at the station advised me that I need not bother with a refund. Just show them your (Trenitalia) stub; she assured me it should be fine. Nope.
Swiss trains were noticeably cleaner, quieter, and well-staffed.
Clear, large-paned windows reveal Nature's glory.
Tickets, please!
Young train staff stood posted at the SBB red trains. No getting around them. They wore satchel bags, serving as mobile kiosks. They were well-armed with point-of-sale card readers around their necks and pockets full of literature. I showed them my old stub and explained the simple mistake. But they weren't messing around.
Sorry. You can't board Swiss trains with Italian tickets.
Ah, lost in translation. I took out some Euros.
From all these extra detours, I lost some weight. So did my wallet. :)
On board the train, I received an Airbnb text from my host.
I had notified him that I'd be running an hour behind schedule.
The text reads:
"no problem."
"Hey, do you still want to go paragliding?"
"the paragliding pilot, Bruno, will meet you at Grampi’s."
My host knew a local guide named "Bruno" who could take guests up if the weather permitted. For days, we had exchanged messages. This flight option would be only possible if wind conditions were favorable. It was essential to check the local weather forecast from Tarasch or Zermatt, not outside.
Apparently, fate wanted me to go fly on that day.
(Skip to Story: Bruno and the Air Taxi)
Scaling up is one part Grit - but two parts Audacity.
Arriving is easy. Anyone can enter a gift shop.
Overpay for a logo magnet or postcard, and say you were there.
The rich come to the ski resort town of Zermatt and take a lift ticket straight to the top. Reaching it on foot, like my Stanford mentor did as a youth - is another matter.
Fundraising angel or seed capital rounds takes enormous perseverance.
It is an ice-cold wind tunnel test of facing repeated hurdles, uncertainty, and rejection.
With previous large 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. You'll never make everyone happy - nobody is born an avocado.
Change is hard. New is risky.
Due Diligence
To truly separate between the hype and the reality requires you to put boots on the ground with due diligence. In March 2021, I flew red-eye from San Diego to Miami cross-country to arrive Day 1 for the filming and meet the entire film crew of TopCourt. Pitch Decks only tell you so much.
You need to go the extra mile and be able to bring yourself there. Show that you're willing to grind out the hours alongside the team to understand how operations work. No armchair QB's if you're in it with your own post-tax dollars.
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| CES 2023 Eureka Park - Gallery of Flops - the Startup Graveyard |
Imagine it's like empowering the East and West coast teams of the Transcontinental Railroad to connect at Promontory, Utah. Done successfully, it linked the two halves of America, its coast, and thus also a nation.
Solving the Hard Side: building the first Unicorn - the steel Horse and the magic Horn.
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” - Beckett
How many strangers or VCs will take the plunge with you? Can you get sustainable funding. Will you continue to iterate, test, fail, and repeat as long as it takes?
The "Desert of no Traction" - Saraha of Startups.
After the honeymoon phase, there are sometimes long lulls. Weeks or months where revenue flatlines. This period tests the Founder's heart. You are sometimes blind with no good KPIs to find 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 decisions.
Don't listen to the naysayers and fearmongers - they reject you, then ignore you, then fear you.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." - LevineGathering light feathers for a pair of 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.
You must risk stepping off the safe path and go forging 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)
Before the trip, I saw the 14-day forecast. I knew I only had a 25% chance of making a launch window. I did not even book any lounging plans ahead of time. I did not know after Milan if there would be another change of plans. It's the dreaded equivalent of a "rain delay" for tennis.
Often, the Alps forecast is grey with a rainy mix of gloom in November.
The Christmas Markets would be a couple weeks away.
I studied the forecasts and had a backup route if things go wrong.
Always understand the odds, kid - even if you end up ignoring them. (yes, Hans Solo)
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