News from NMotion: Hype and humility

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From the outside of the startup community six months ago, most of my knowledge of the ecosystem came from random tech articles. Because of this I knew more about Silicon Valley news and personalities than I did the Creative Corridor or Silicon Prairie.

Something I struggled with before jumping in was the subject of humility. From my perspective, I read an awful lot of hype articles. That's where I started to hear Silicon Valley*-esque phrases like “Making the world a better place.”

I would find the occasional article about what someone learned from the failure of their company, but that generally started with “what I learned from my failure…” and ended with “… and why I'm now awesome again.”

Now that I'm in it, I do get something out of these articles. The cheerleader element does help get me pumped up, think about the future or at least slog through a tough day. I'm not suggesting that Sarah Binder starts writing articles about all the different ways people are screwing up, just there are definite surface perceptions of startups that can be off-putting. I know I'm not saying anything profound, otherwise Silicon Valley (the show) wouldn't be so funny.

Recently I cracked after hearing one too many “growth hacks” which could have also been described as “just emailing some folks.”

I understand the distinction people are trying to make with this phrase versus the apparently outdated word “marketing.” There are certainly some pretty backwards ways that marketing has been done and is currently being done.

But I had to get it out, so I turned to an outsider in the startup world: my wife. She had not had the pleasure, so I gave her the definition of "growth hacking." Her response: “A bit smug, isn't it?”

Hype can be necessary but humility also has its benefits for a startup. Luckily I'm getting examples of humility from the best: Midwesterners.**

One prime opportunity to be humble (or humbled) is while pitching. It's very easy to get combative when selling your company or product, but it's something to avoid. Jason and I work hard to anticipate questions but there are always going to be new ones. If someone asks a new question, they've done some of the work for us. So first, “Thanks.”

Whether I thought of it before or not, it's nice for the person on the other end to know that I'm listening. They're a whole lot more likely to ask another question, give me another suggestion or make a connection for me if they know that I'm taking their words to heart. I'm learning, so I write it all down during the Q&A and when talking with mentors.

What I've learned at NMotion and want to get better at is to go the extra step and follow up with them. “Hey, I've thought more about what you said and talked to that person you put me in touch with and…”

Something I've always been really good at is saying “I don't know.” During pitching and Q&A, I don't want that to be every answer but occasionally it is. I know it's better than making something up completely. Michael Ott consoled the room at EntreFEST this year saying, “It's okay to say, ‘I don't know and I will figure it out.'” I imagine an investor like Michael would prefer hearing that over a wrong but confident answer.

One specific example I've been given is the question of “Who is your competition?” If you try to say that you have no competition, more than your humility comes into question, like how much time you've spent thinking about your problem. Even if your competition doesn't have the same business model as you, you have competition. Sometimes your competition is your customer or their indifference. Admitting I have competition helps me focus on how to be better than the competition.

There are plenty of opportunities to be humbled while working on a startup. Luckily in Lincoln and back in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, I'm around people who are humble despite their success. I just hope that I can learn from my failures and be awesome again.

* The TV show, not the valley

** I now realize that it's not very humble of me to suggest that Midwesterners are the best at being humble. I humbly apologize.

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Guest post from Zach Sanderson: Turnstile Cards co-founders Zach Sanderson and Jason Kristufek were accepted to Lincoln's NMotion Accelerator after winning the first Startup Weekend Cedar Rapids. The young company hopes to build a mobile marketing platform for minor league baseball teams and their fans. Throughout the summer, Sanderson will update us as the team moves through the accelerator. 

Previously:

• Turnstile Cards accepted to Lincoln's NMotion Accelerator
• News from NMotion: Why Lincoln?
• News from NMotion: Kicks in the butt
• News from NMotion: Love of the game

Learn more at turnstilecards.com.