U
D

Conversation

the

08/20/13 | Uncategorized

Don’t Listen to Naysayers: Your Great Idea is Only a Step Away

“Failing means you actually have some momentum, and that’s ten steps ahead of most people,” says Revel Systems co-founder.

By Lisa Falzone (CEO & co-founder, Revel Systems)

Do you ever feel like you don’t fit in at your job, and you view your “work” as a chore instead of your passion? Do you long to become an entrepreneur and admire those that have started successful companies? Do you want to follow your dreams but don’t know how to start?

A lot of people are frozen in this line of thought:  Wanting to be an entrepreneur but never actually following through. They tell themselves they don’t have the right degrees, they don’t have enough experience, they don’t know anyone to raise money from, or they don’t have a great idea. They freeze right where they are and are overcome with self-doubt, and listen to all the naysayers in their life.  They never start.  And if you never start, you’ve already failed.

When I started it was like taking a leap into the unknown. I didn’t have a great idea or any clue how to raise money. I didn’t have family in the business world to give me advice, and didn’t have a co-founder, but I started anyway.  I created over a dozen baby businesses (what I call a small project, or a business that never takes off): a swimsuit distribution business, several websites, a toy company, and several service companies.  For one reason or another these ideas and businesses either failed or I just stopped pursuing them.

However, through one baby business, a blog in which I wrote on inspirational quotes, I found my technical co-founder. Another baby business, which was a restaurant app ordering product, became a pivot point to creating an iPad point-of-sale product, which eventually became Revel Systems.  Now Revel Systems has raised $14 million dollars in funding, is profitable, and has thousands of clients. If I had never started I would have never created this great idea, found a co-founder, or received funding.

If I had not taken that first step, Revel would not even exist today.

The first step to success as an entrepreneur is to just start. Even if it might be the mere beginnings of an idea—just start.  Take the first step.  Buy that domain even if you aren’t sure.  Start selling even if you haven’t even developed the product.  Whatever it might be, just start.  Most people never actually take the first step.  Put one foot in front of the other – if you don’t take that first step you will have never started.  Don’t be afraid to fail.  Be happy if you fail. Failing means you actually have some momentum, and that’s ten steps ahead of most people.  Even though you might not know what you’re doing, or even if you think you idea might not be that great – just start. See where the adventure of entrepreneurship takes you.

What strategies do you use to help you get started?

Lisa-falzone-revelAbout the guest blogger: Lisa Falzone (@LisaFalzone) is the CEO and co-founder of Revel Systems, the award-winning leader in iPad point-of-sale (POS) systems for restaurant, retail and grocery. She leads the day-to-day business operations and spearheads new business growth, and has also been instrumental in securing $14M in venture capital funding to date. Lisa has been recognized as Forbes ’30 Under 30’ as well as San Francisco Business Times ’40 Under 40.’ 

Editor

Editor

The Switch Editorial Team.

Straight to your inbox.

The best content on the future faces of tech and startups.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

SHARE THIS STORY

NEW COHORT STARTS JANUARY 2024

Join the Angel Sessions

Develop strategic relationships, build skills, and increase your deal flow through our global angel group and investing course.

RELATED ARTICLES
[yarpp]