The Art of the Start
When I signed up for IMKY — for our non-triathlete readers, that stands for IRONMAN Kentucky, a race consisting of a 2.4mi swim followed by a 112mi bike finishing with a 26.2mi run — people would often say “crossing that finish line” put people in a different category of athleticism. I don’t disagree. In fact, only 0.01% of the world’s population have earned the title of IRONMAN. But I would argue that it actually puts you in a different category of discipline and determination. Furthermore, it isn’t the FINISH LINE that transforms even the last finisher but rather the START LINE. There is an art to getting to it. Months and months, hours upon hours, of dedicated training. On race morning, it is [preparation + determination] that sets you off when the gun goes off.
Start lines are where the magic happens. It’s where you come alive. You can feel the perspiration in your palms. You can hear your heart beating through . You can smell fear trying to catch up. You can taste the seamless transitions — T1: swim to bike, T2: bike to run. You see, very little will get in the way of crossing a finish line once I start. The real work is getting to the start. The start of anything — a triathlon, writing a New York Times best-seller, launching a company - whatever it is that will bring you peace of mind when you’re laying on your deathbed — is worth pursuing.
Kellie Smirnoff, second from right, at the starting line of the Inaugural EPICMAN Race in Hawaii.
The EPICMAN Race is a 421.8mi race consisting of a 7.2mi swim, 336mi bike ride, 78.6mi run.
Start lines are THE win. My IRONMAN quest was inspired by a woman named Kellie Smirnoff. She was the winner of the 2011 Inaugural EPICMAN Race - the distance of three IRONMAN races back to back. Yes, you read that right — THREE. Our quest to launch a purpose-driven company was hands down inspired by Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS and author of Start Something That Matters. He inspired us to get ridiculously clear on our purpose, our company vision and mission, and our core values. That is what we call The Art of the Start.
If you’re an entrepreneur and your goal is to launch a company, start already. The best advice we can give you is really Blake’s advice: “the most important step of all is the first step. Start something.” The second best advice is from us: get clear on your guiding principles.
“The most important step of all is the first step. Start something. ”
The Art of the Start is ruminative, introspective, calculating. Not to be confused with the subsequent steps. The “steps” that follow feel more like a thrust forward and upward where the ground disappears — at which point you're flying by the seat of your pants. Reid Hoffman summed it brilliantly, “starting a company is like jumping off a cliff and assembling a plane on the way down.”
Buckle up. Turbulence ahead.
When you know what your purpose for doing business is, like how will you impact the world, then trusting the process is second nature. You trust that your preparation will carry you and your determination will guide you even when the descent is fast and furious. The Art of the Start is having a strong foundation — a clear vision, actionable mission, well-defined core values, and most importantly, a company’s purpose for existing. For they will collectively provide lift, altitude and runway, on any given day.
I ran many miles meditating on Guy & Beau TEE’s guiding principles. Day after day. I’d lace up in the wee hours of the morning and off I went asking myself the same question, ‘What is our purpose? What are the behaviors that our team needs to embody to drive the vision of this company? How will we leave the world better?’ Then like a sunrise cracking through the morning darkness, I got clear.
Our values: Integrity. Creativity. Fun.
Our purpose: to invest in the entrepreneurial spirit of women around the world.
If you’re considering jumping off the proverbial “cliff”, read my dear friend (we aren’t friends - yet) Blake’s book Start Something That Matters. Take time to intentionally identify the key foundational components of your business so that you and your team can create big impact. “Learning how someone else is already doing the thing you want to do, or a version of it, can eliminate the fear - every path is easier to follow when you see someone else’s footprints already on it.”
Thank you for the roadmap, Blake.
Fellow entrepreneurs: Our commitment is to be transparent. Guy & Beau TEE is still very much in the ‘assembling the plane’ phase. The good thing is we love to fly and so we have not choice but to build, create, innovate, and hopefully be for you who Blake has been for us. Trust the process and start already.
ps. Fun fact - Blake not only wrote a New York Times Best Seller and launched several successful companies, but he was also a fierce competitor on The Amazing Race. Trifecta.
