The typical hero’s journey starts with an individual who is living a sheltered, particularly unremarkable life. This life is interrupted by a calling - to go on an adventure or to resolve a conflict. His first instinct is to refuse the calling. He wonders whether he is fit to adequately answer it. He fears the unknown. He feels a sense of attachment to his present life. But then, with the nudge of a mentor, and the moral support of companions, he is able to overcome these (mostly psychological) barriers and embark on the quest. At some point he crosses a first threshold, leaving the limits of his known world and venturing into an unknown territory, eventually reaching the stage of separation from the hero’s known world and self. At this final stage, the hero goes through a metamorphosis.
Every startup is in essence, a quest. You, the founder, are the Frodo of the story. Your quest is to bring an end to a conflict by solving your customer’s problem. Your angel investor is your Gandalf; your Samwise, Merry and Pippin form your core team. As you gain traction and leave your Shire for Bree, you are able to bring better players on board - the likes of Aragorn and Arwen, who help you cross that treacherous path to Rivendell. Rivendell marks an important milestone - getting there is getting to product-market fit. It is there that you raise your Series A from Elrond and hire a team of specialist, experienced A players - your Gimli, Legolas and Boromir. Succeed in this hyper-growth phase and a Lady Galadriel would turn up, bestowing you with handsome gifts in the form of a round of Series B (be careful - an ambitious, power-hungry Galadriel might threaten to take over your board, or replace you as the CEO!). With Galadriel’s gifts, your team can branch into separate paths and diversify your business, invest in bold new product offerings, or risky experimental projects.
At any point in this journey, your Boromir might turn on you, your Gandalf might get busy with other endeavours, and your Gimli and Legolas - even your Merry and Pippin, might part ways. The odds of failure are astronomically high.
But if you are able carry the burden through all the trials and turmoils, and keep a single-minded focus on your mission, you might just about succeed.
And it would be worth it.
19 April 2018