I started being a “Startupper”*, almost by accident, the day after I graduated.

Twelve years have passed since then, 3 startups launched, 3 exits, several capital raises, dozens of hires and many doors slammed in my face (which help you grow, often more than everything else). I was not fully aware of it, but from day one I carried an innate trait that has guided me through all these years: the ability to give up immediate earnings!

Big dreams

Along my road I have met plenty of “potential” entrepreneurs; students dreaming of becoming the next Steve Jobs, friends asking me to assess and support their ideas, managers fed up with their jobs who want to take the leap into entrepreneurship. Among them all, I can count on the fingers of one hand those who truly have the will to leave certain earnings behind and throw themselves into ventures with no guarantees, investing only their own time (and abilities) to create value.

I am not talking about people in financial difficulty who struggle to make it to the end of the month, but far more often well-off people, well established in the working world. Even those who have a safety net and could “take the leap” landing, all things considered, “on their feet” cannot bring themselves to get in the game, if that means giving up the certainty of a salary at the end of the month, or not having the guarantee of “everything, right now”.

No pain, no gain

The closest parallel that comes to mind is that of an investor trying to earn on risk-free securities: a utopia.

It is certainly exciting to think of million-euro exits starting from ideas born in a basement. Far less exciting is working for years, (often) underpaid, (often) one step from running out of the few reserves available, with no guarantee of success.

A question many aspiring entrepreneurs should ask themselves is: “why on earth should a potential partner or an investor bet on your idea if you don’t do it first?”

The importance of believing

You need faith, and it is hard to expect it from others if you don’t firmly believe first yourself. Perhaps the best advice for every aspiring “Startupper” comes not from an entrepreneurship guru, but from a more unexpected source:

“Always always always believe in yourself.

Because if you don’t, then who will sweetie?“

Marilyn Monroe

You need to believe enormously in yourself. You need the courage to leave something today to harvest much more tomorrow. This is what every successful “Startupper” I have met in my career does. And it is also the only way I know to create value in companies that start from zero and have everything to prove.

The role of the Startup Studio

When my partners and I (my companions in adventure, with whom I still work today) took our first steps in Italian entrepreneurship, we had to build everything from scratch. And by everything I mean everything: capital raising, legal, finance, administration, marketing, product development, corporate identity, trademark registrations, grants, internationalisation, and the list goes on! All of this certainly made us grow, but it also demanded a huge effort on matters outside our skills and characteristics.

A startup has everything to prove: if you invest time and money in non-revenue activities, the risk is blowing up before your product has even seen the light.

I decided to become an advisor to Startup Bakery because if I had had this kind of support at the start of my career, I could have taken off with a turbo boost! I want to make what I have learned through my experiences available to new digital entrepreneurs; the Italian entrepreneurial fabric needs to build networks and synergies to get back to the top.

There is an enormous untapped potential of professionals with the makings of an entrepreneur. The startup studio aims to be an ideal environment not just for spinning up ideas, but entrepreneurs too. Startuppers are made by working side by side, with on-the-job training; this way everyone can truly express the best of their abilities without being defocused on external activities, which are handled quickly and effectively by the Bakery.

In our small way, we help bring out new “Startuppers” who will contribute with their ideas and abilities to everyone’s wellbeing. I believe it is quite clear at this point: I will always choose the exit tomorrow, and I will help other potential entrepreneurs invest in themselves.

* My definition of “Startupper”: an entrepreneur who follows the launch of companies, typically digital, typically with the dream of selling them to large corporations 🙂