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Get startedThis article is about the emotional intricacies of being a CEO or entrepreneur and the emotional roller coaster you’ll ride, or are already riding. Marc Andreesen, co-founder of Netscape, once wrote:
“First and foremost, a startup puts you on an emotional rollercoaster unlike anything you have ever experienced. You flip rapidly from day-to-day – one where you are euphorically convinced you are going to own the world, to a day in which doom seems only weeks away and you feel completely ruined, and back again.
Over and over and over.
And I’m talking about what happens to stable entrepreneurs. There is so much uncertainty and so much risk around practically everything you are doing. The level of stress that you’re under generally will magnify things incredible highs and unbelievable lows at whiplash speed and huge magnitude.
Sound like fun?”
The concept that we’re going to examine is called the “Transition Curve.” It resembles a rollercoaster. Regardless of whether or not you believe you will ride an emotional rollercoaster running a business, you will. You have two fundamental choices: you can hold on and scream, or you can wave your hands in the air and have some fun.
I’m going to walk you through these different analogies, but let’s first look at the various stages of this process:
This cycle then repeats itself. But here is the critical point — at each stage of the curve, you can do things to leverage the feelings and energy — positive or negative — that you have at that moment. Fighting against these phases is like working against a natural force. Now that you understand why you’re feeling like you do – next issue I’ll tell you how to deal with each stage of the curve including What To Do – and – What Not To Do at each stage. Enjoy the ride instead of fighting it.
Cameron Herold is the founder of BackPocket COO, where he coaches CEOs and entrepreneurs, and the former COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? He is speaker resource for the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and Young Presidents’ Organization, global networks of more than 24,000 business leaders in over 100 countries, and has spoken to entrepreneurs in 17 countries and in groups as large as 2,000 people. His blog can be found at www.BackPocketCOO.com/blog.
Hi Cameron. Good article, but I only linked through to it to comment on the title. It's too vague. Remember that only the title is used in electronic media, and you'll lose interested readers if they don't understand what the article is about from the title, or worse, you'll bring in readers who are annoyed to find that they article is not relevant to them. For example, in the CPA Daily Letter email that contained a link to this article, there were also links to "Common Business Insurance Mistakes" and "Investing in Web Security." Very clear titles that told me I didn't need to read the articles. Do your readers a favor, and have your title clearly state what the article is about. Thanks, TJ
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Cameron Herold, CEO/Franchise Coach & Speaker 1 year 8 months and 17 days ago
TJ - You're bang on - I'm going to see if I can get it re-titled as "The CEO's Emotional Roller Coaster". I'll ensure all articles going forward are clearer too. GREAT point. Thanks.