Mental Endurance Is Paramount

Premium CPG founders face serious headwinds trying to scale. Most never do. The ones who do scale take 7-10 years on average, though we all get distracted by a tiny group that does it in 2-3 years. This is why I always recommend that founders immerse themselves in the psychology of endurance, preferably by engaging in other endurance activities directly. If you can’t, you can at least immerse in media about physical endurance athletics.

If you do, you will learn what I did six years ago, when I first saw the award-winning documentary – Desert Runners. In the picture above, you don’t just see a contestant. You see the winner of the most grueling ultra-marathon series on Earth. 4 Ultra-marathons hosted in four of the harshest desert environments on Earth. All in one calendar year. The winner is not an athlete, a martial artist, or even a competitive runner. He’s a retired working-class guy from Ireland who wanted a challenge.

It turns out he had the psychology required to win this contest. It was never about physical endurance. He had minimal endurance before starting. He won because his mind is as strong as a steel girder and capable of focusing on the end goal, not the miseries along the way.

I can’t recommend watching this amazing film enough as a startup founder. If your mouth doesn’t drop wide open at some point, I’ll be shocked.

Be safe out there!

Dr. James Richardson

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