It’s happened to every founding CEO. You’re in a meeting — with fellow founders, potential partners, VCs, or even just friends — and you’re asked that simple question that often feels like the hardest one: “How are things going? “Great!” you respond Cue, awkward pause. Where do you go from there?
via Every Entrepreneur’s Least Favorite Question – Kathryn Minshew – Harvard Business Review.
Related articles
- Are You An Entrepreneur? (Infographic) (ceo.com)
- Six Thoughts About Great Entrepreneurs (tatestake.wordpress.com)
When I first became an entrepreneur, 28 years ago, I found it was common for “well meaning” friends to ask this question in quite a mocking or unsupportive way. As a new entrepreneur I didn’t know how to handle this situation, and was constantly disappointed when I shared my exciting news with these individuals and it was very evident they didn’t care, were attempting to be polite by asking, and actually were acting in a disrespectful manner. After many incidents like this, I stopped trying to impress them with my exciting news, and simply said “fantastic” and changed the subject. That was a pivitol turning point. I realized I would never prove things to these doubting toms, nor did I have to. This is something that many new entrepreneurs go through….it’s important to understand it’s simply part of the process in learning to stay focused on where you are going, regardless of the skeptics that are not part of your support system.