Requiem For My Startup

Rockaway Beach in NYC, where I grew up.

Most entrepreneurs fail and most employees are disengaged. The gulf between our social media personas and our real-lives has never been wider. Emoji culture is doing huge damage to our actual emotions. So, this article is a countermeasure. My startup just failed. It’s hard for me right now. And I’m being totally transparent about it. 

Every great inflection point in my life started with radical honesty about what’s not working. So I’m going to share something that’s hard for me to say: the startup consulting firm that @petercrysdale and I have been building hasn’t worked out. We’ve decided to close it down and move on. 

In the spirit of radical candor, here’s the whole truth of everything going on for me right now:

1. I love Peter Crysdale. Through all of it Peter and I have looked out for one another, communicated openly, and filled in for the other’s strengths and weaknesses. I feel genuine love for him. I have complete certainty that we will continue to be an integral part of one another’s lives. If nothing else comes out of Recorp, working with him has made it all worth it. 

2. I’m a fuck up and it’s all my fault. Not many people know this about me - but I was nearly held back in 5th grade. My 5th grade teacher, Mrs. O’Shea, as well as every evil boss, and difficult client are in my head a lot right now. Maybe they were all right about me. Every time I look at LinkedIn I feel like I’m the only person who’s not a zillionaire. I easily spiral into jealousy, freaking out, and beating the shit out of myself. It’s exhausting.  

3. We made some legitimate mistakes. Here are a few of them:

• We started with engagements we knew weren’t a great fit. These engagements consumed a lot of time, capital, and attention. 

• Because of those early engagements it took us too long to identify our ideal customer. 

• Once we identified our ideal customer we started to methodically execute a viable sales strategy. But we ran out of time and money just as it was showing positive signs of progress.

• We deliberately avoided creating content. As an author and speaker I know not to confuse a fan with a customer. We (correctly) didn’t want to get sidetracked trying to emulate @garyvee. But there’s a smart way to create content that builds trust with decision makers. Again, we figured that out too late. 

• My attention was divided. As we were building Recorp I was also capitalizing on the success of my book and my career as a paid speaker. There was not enough overlap between my brand and Recorp’s business model. I thought there was. I was wrong.

4. All these mistakes make us exponentially better and smarter than we were before. In our next moves, whatever they are, we will be twice as good as we are now. 

5. Recorp will live on in some tangible ways. We both believe fundamentally in the mission of empowering entrepreneurs in large enterprise. We will continue to host events and Happy Hours for entrepreneurs, investors, and intrapreneurs. The mission of Recorp will stay with us wherever we go next.

6. Thank you. We love you. To everyone who believed in us and wanted us to win, who advised us when we were stuck, and who believes in our future success. We’re tremendously grateful that you were part of our journey. We hope you remain part of our lives. 

7. There's a difference between failing and being a failure. One of the most corrosive consequences of social media, and LinkedIn particularly, is that it turns our careers into a beauty pageant. The truth is that most employees are disengaged and most entrepreneurs fail. The gulf between our public personas and our real-life truth isn’t healthy. We all need a safe space to be honest about our own self doubt, struggles and vulnerability. So, I hope this reaches someone who needs help and reassures them that they’re not alone. If that sounds like you - then please feel free to reach out.

Recorp, at its core, was always a community of entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs sharing their experience, strength, and hope. We continue to believe that there’s a huge unmet need for empowered entrepreneurs in mature companies. That mission is still an integral part of who we are and where we’ll go next. I’m proud to have been part of it - regardless of the result.