Use the discomfort of potential public embarrassment to increase startup momentum
Focus! I never angel invest. I never sit on other company boards. I never do official advisory or mentor work, etc. I only do one thing, my current startup. And that, at full speed. Bringing any new venture to life is so hard that any outside distraction you can remove directly increases the probability of success.
It is hard to argue against the idea of a highly focused environment, but the real value is often in the public commitment. There is no other story attached to you, and the only progress you can talk about is your startup’s progress. No networking event, family dinner, etc., includes silly side stories about this and that angle investment of yours that is doing OK, vs. the uncomfortable response of you and I not getting the traction we had imagined. This fact alone often forces you and me to propel forward, even if just to avoid telling other people of our stagnation!
In other words; Apply all your focus on your startup, tell everybody this is the only thing you are doing, and use the discomfort of potential public embarrassment to increase momentum and likelihood of survival.
*Having said the above, I LOVE to do ad hoc talks with other smart entrepreneurs and do that all the time to broaden my horizon! :-)
