STARTUP LESSONS FROM FISHING: 1 in a series

I just returned from a week of fly fishing on one of California's prime trout rivers, the McCloud. Along side the blue green running water I camped with my best friend. During our long ride up and back in my Jeep we had time to catch up and share a lot of what was going on in our lives. After each day of great fishing, I cooked a delicious camp dinner and we talked further, until we were ready to climb into our sleeping bags and quickly sink into a deep, restful sleep.

Today I thought I'd share with you some of the lessons for startups that you'll find in fishing.

1. Make it an adventure. You can plan it to the finest detail, you can prepare in the deepest depth, but as soon as you start up the Jeep, as soon as your lure hits the water, anything can happen.
2. Plan it. Yes, a plan is important. It helps you remember to bring your sleeping bag, bug spray and my special marinate for the evening scrumptious dinner. It helps startups remember to figure out how to make money, how much cash it will take, what the most likely strategy will be, and who you have to hire.
3. Adapt. I have had to change campsites, even change rivers, all without notice. Startups will have to shift strategies and alter tactics week after week, all without notice.
4. Change. If the fish will not bite on the flies I select, I change them, quickly, until I find what the are eager to eat. Startups have to find what lures the ideal customer to part with their money, as quickly as possible.
5. Move. If the fish are not biting in one section of the water, I move to another until I find the fish. Startups need to keep searching and trying and searching, until they find the customers eager to consume what is offered.
6. Be patient. I have to keep on trying, even of all of the above tactics and methods are not working. I have confidence the fish are there, I just have to find out what gets them excited. Founders need to be confident and patient as they search for eager customers. Great entrepreneurs have a lot of patience.

BOTTOM LINE: You can learn a lot from fishing and apply it to doing your startup. That is part of gaining perspective and is what serial entrepreneurs do well. It is part of their unfair advantage and how they became serial suceesses.