Thanks for having me here today

Let me start with a story - On August 15th I set out on a journey -- not just any journey but a journey of my life. I set a goal.....

I finished that run at 9;55am. 23 hours and 55 minutes later. 16,000 feet of elevation gain. More gu gels than I ever want to see again in my life, a friend for life, and a deep, deep , deep sense of pride and accomplishment. I walked out of the trail and...I cried.

Welcome to entrepreneurship. Lots of emotion. Lots of fierce internal conflict. Lonely. Energizing. Scary. Fantastic. Uncertain. Inspiring.

There are a lot of warnings on a run like the one we did. Entrepreneurship -- no clear warning signs. It's when you get into it that you realize -- holy smokes, what did I get myself into.

But by that point, you're on the road. Welcome to entrepreneurship, one of the lonely roads that will enliven your spirit, your sense of adventure, your desire to succeed, and test your metal like never before.

I constantly feel like I'm telling customers to "watch the birdy" while trying to match my statements to my promises. That is tiring.

The good news is that you are surrounded by people that care about you. Smart mentors, this community. We want you to be successful because you are going to change the world. Even the best among you benefit from coaching.

Transparency and authenticity

#4: A mantra I hear all the time from my coach and a huge challenge for entrepreneurs. Nail it is getting referencable validation that you've built a product that a customer is willing to pay for because you have solved a problem. Only then should you scale. Too many companies scale prematurely, haven't validated the product and then lose control.

There is a classic product evolution that is too often short circuited. Where pilots move scale before they've nailed it, raise a ton of money and then can't scale with confidence because they missed a critical step.

#2: Everything for me comes down to a core principal that an organizations is a system, one that has and needs to acquire energy to survive and one that needs to eliminate or mitigate entropy, that which is destroying a structure over time. In a finite system, maximize energy. To grow the system, get more. Entropy comes from many place -- your family life, personnel issues, conflicting strategies. For me, it was such a simple model. I know when I have entropy -- I feel it in my gut. Own it. Understand it. Take action.

#3: My genius zone is at the vector of happiness and productivity -- how I am, how I want to be, and how others want me to be -- If perfectly aligned, I'm in my zone. It is that place where I have a unique ability to perform at a high level and I get energy -- I need to spend 80% of my time in my zone. For me, that's doing deals -- I love the art of the deal, the thrill of the hunt, the close and the satisfaction.

#5: Be aware of the leadership forces required in your organization at different times. 4 Forces at work are Producer (What), Stabilizer (How), Unifier (Who), and Innovator (Why Not?). Early stage is High innovator. Scaling/growth requires a stabilizer. Weighting your organization too heavily in one area will lead to sub-optimal results

Say No 20-30x more often than you say yes

#6: Be very careful about the early customers you work with. These early customers become your launchpad or your demise. They need to be ready to take a leap with you. If they are not, but you sold them well, they are going to create too much entropy. You need a customer that wants to collaborate with you, not dictate your product for their unique circumstance. Being very aware of where interests align and diverge is critical.

#1: Lots of forces try to undermine your confidence as an entrepreneur. It takes great fortitude to withstand the naysayers, the "no's". It's easy as a start-up to be the scapegoat if something doesn't go well. We can either choose to take on those projected beliefs or resist them and grab hold of perceptions that advance our cause. This is not about rose colored glasses but it is about conviction.

At 6am when the sun was coming up over the Cascades the only thing I was thinking about was....I am done. Now, I can't wait to get back out there and do it again.

Why not us? All of us have the fortitude to success. I've made mistakes along the way. Learn from them as I've learned from others.