There’s SO MUCH TO DO when you start a startup. 

You need to acquire customers while building your product and raising money while expanding your network and hiring people while making sure your team is happy and so on and so on and so on. 

Wow. Just writing that sentence stressed me out. 

We eventually get burnt out. We’ve all been there. But how do we avoid this? 

Let’s start with an unpopular opinion from one of our beloved general partners, Elizabeth Yin.

A big reason why founders burn out is because their startup isn’t their life mission

Elizabeth used to think about her ad startup in terms of a 5-year horizon. But now she thinks about Hustle Fund as a 30-year mission (hopefully longer). 

Startups just take a long time to build, at least 20+ years to build something great. Just look at your favorite companies that are having a BIG impact–they’re all over 15 years old. 

Most people need a longer-term mentality than they might think. So the million-dollar question: what’s a problem that you want to work on for 30+ years? 

If it’s not what you’re currently working on, then maybe you should reconsider what you’re building. You need to have something that will keep you going through all the ups and downs for decades, not years. 

Long-term thinking is also key to helping your team prioritize what they should focus on. 

• What do you need to focus on right now? 
• What things are better to do next year? Or 5 years from now?
• What tasks should we eliminate completely in order to stay focused?

There are some of the many questions that we’ll be tackling together at Hustlers’ Retreat. 

Sprints, marathons, and one not-so-secret ingredient

People often debate whether startups are like marathons or sprints. They’re actually both–sprints within a marathon. 

There will be times when you need to sprint like when you’re closing a deal or hitting a launch date. But remember: you’ll be working on this startup for 30+ years. You need to learn how to pace yourself with one not-so-secret ingredient.

Rest.

Yeah, it’s that obvious. Top athletes, brilliant musicians, and the best artists ALL rest a lot. Like 7-9 hours a night. Lebron James literally sleeps 12 hours a day. He sleeps like my cockapoo lol. 

But for some reason, our industry doesn’t like to sit still, and this is a mistake. You already know that better sleep gives you more energy to be creative and solve problems. So why do most founders not want to rest?

There’s a stigma in our industry to always be “hustling” and “grinding.” Yes, there are times when we need to sprint. But to finish a marathon, there are also times to cruise. You need both to perform at your best. 

So if you’re burnt out now, this email is the universe’s message telling you to take a break. Seriously. Stop working. 

Taking 2-6 weeks in the grand scheme of 30 years is not a big deal. Four days to reset and realign your exec team at Hustlers’ Retreat feels like nothing in comparison. 

Whatever you do, give yourself permission to take time off. If Lebron can do it, you can do it too.