I was excited to read the recent interview on DevEx with Blair Glencourse of Accountability Lab about his thoughts on what it takes to “make it” when starting a development enterprise. It was a pleasure to have him on the Terms of Reference Podcast (see TOR038) to talk about how the Lab works, has achieved success and what types of challenges they’ve encountered.
In the DevEx article, Blair talks about:
- Make sure you don’t underestimate your level of effort… for a long time
- If you’re the founder, you have to focus on organizational health
- Fundraising is about relationships
- Embrace flexibility and partnerships
- Stay focused on your core mission
- Always feed your mind
- Measure your success and report on it
One final area Blair talks about that I haven’t is the value of having a strong board of directors. Rather than a time sink, if done well, this can be a massive advantage and leverage point for your start up.
