"El momento más peligroso para una startup es cuando te vuelves exitoso, porque entonces dejas de hacer las cosas que te hicieron exitoso en primer lugar"

When a startup begins to taste success, it’s a thrilling moment. But there’s a hidden danger lurking behind that success. You see, the very practices and hustles that got you to that high point can start slipping away, and that’s when a startup becomes vulnerable.

Let’s travel back to the dot-com boom of the late 1990s to early 2000s. Tech startups were sprouting like mushrooms after rain. Many of them saw rapid success due to their innovative products and agile methodologies. Take the example of Netscape, one of the first web browsers. They soared quickly by constantly innovating and releasing new software versions at a pace their competitors couldn’t match. But as they grew, they began to rest on their laurels, becoming more bureaucratic and less nimble. And soon, they were outpaced by other companies like Microsoft, which learned from Netscape’s initial success and kept evolving.

Now, picture this in your own life. Imagine you’ve started a small bakery. At first, you’re up at 4 a.m. every day, crafting the most delicious pastries, experimenting with new recipes, and engaging with every customer personally. Your bakery becomes the talk of the town. You’re featured in local magazines, orders are flooding in, and you think you’ve made it. But success can be a double-edged sword. You start to hire more staff, delegate the baking, stop trying new recipes, and maybe even sleep in until 6 a.m. Guess what happens? The quality drops. Customers notice. Your once-booming bakery starts to lose its charm.

So, how do you avoid this trap? Stay hungry. Remember what got you there. Keep the innovative spirit alive. Whether it’s maintaining close customer interactions, continually revising and improving products, or staying on top of market trends—don’t get complacent.

Consider Apple during the tenure of Steve Jobs. Even when they were wildly successful, Jobs famously pushed for continuous innovation and excellence. He didn’t let the company rest on its iPod success; they kept pushing forward, leading to the iPhone and iPad, which revolutionized entire industries.

Let’s relate this to a scenario closer to home. Think about the time you trained hard for a marathon. You stuck to a strict routine, ate healthily, trained daily, and finally completed the marathon. It was a milestone. Now, if you stopped these healthy habits after your success, what would happen? You’d lose the fitness you worked so hard for. The same principle applies to startups. Continuous effort and adherence to the habits that drove success are vital.

In essence, success should be a stepping stone, not a resting place. Keep the fire burning. Maintain the strategies and hardworking ethos that propelled you to success. Embrace growth without losing the startup mentality of hustle and innovation. That’s the secret sauce. If you can do that, you’ll not only reach the top but stay there.