panic episode: founders edition
— wil (@wilxlee) March 2, 2022
🧵👇
disclaimer:
this is just me sharing my personal experience as a founder. the ups and the downs. the crazy emotional rollercoaster, which ultimately lead to a panic episode.
full intent to share behind the scenes so you know what to expect, the story behind the glory.
The Launch
– mths working around the clock on all aspects of building a project. from artwork, to marketing, to tech, to logistics, to community.
– everything needs to be perfect for a flawless launch.
– once you pass the finish line, things become real.
– what may seem like a time to celebrate quickly became a reality call.
– i now have the responsibility of a 5k+ community.
– instead of cutting back on time, im now needed double time.
– starting a project is like having a baby, requires attention ard the clock.
The Expectation
– within days/weeks of launching, all the wen moon, wen roadmap, wen wen wen starts pouring in.
– its very important to manage ppl’s expectation and not over sell. otherwise ppl get rekted and u’d be under immense pressure to deliver flash in a pan work.
– its also very important to understand what type of project you are building. whether its a platform, an ip, a game, a metaverse, etc.
– each type has very different timeline and updates.
– despite sharing our project as an art based project, there are still unrealistic exp.
– at times, i feel like caving in and just sharing what we have built thus far. however, knowing that things change every minute in nfts, i know any shares will have a huge impact if i can’t actualize it.
– which is why i often reach out to my critics and have 1 on 1s to share.
The Operations
– with a big vision, comes the need for a very talented team.
– finding talented ppl is VERYYY difficult.
– without talented ppl ur process breaks, works becomes subpar, u fall behind.
– with the limitation of web3 professionals, you’d need to convert web2 ppl
– this often times is an uphill battle as you try to convince talented ppl to leave their safety net to a money laundry, right click save jpg, industry.
– at the same time, talents are needed as of ytdy.
– feels like no matter how fast u work, u are still falling behind..
The Optics
– the nature of the industry is all abt narrative, which means optics matter, a ton.
– u can try ur best to be as straight up as possible, but afterall, we are still human.
– ppl can still make mistakes, actions can be taken out of context.
– no one is perfect and i’ve def been reminded as well.
– case in point, previously i’ve allotted some allowlists for my irl team as an incentive to onboard them.
– optics doesn’t look good, so what do you do?
– all u can do is try to do better.
– premint/metalink ftw.
The Pressure
– in this industry, the pressure to perform is soo in your face.
– new projects launch on the daily, new innovation is happening every day.
– noise happens every minute.
– as much as you try not to compare, u would.
– despite our community been as supportive as ever, the pressure to perform at my highest lvl, every day never goes away.
– feels like im not fast enough, never doing enough.
The Lack of Time
– with discord, slack, twitter, whatsapp, TG, emails, all on at the same time. alongside with meetings after meetings…
– with vendors, partners all around the world, there is really little to no time.
– work life balance becomes non existence.
– seems like theres a thief out there to get me, on the daily, stealing away precious time.
– scary thing that caught up to me, is when i looked at my 2.5mth son… and was shocked at how big he alrdy is… what did i miss out on.
the thought of achieving every thing i’ve ever wanted, yet missing out on the very thing that mattered…
this was when it happened.
on a sunny saturday – was when i cocooned for hrs in bed, completely handicapped and lost. this was when i knew i needed to take care of me.
i need to unplug.
i need to time block.
i need to find therapy.
i need to set boundaries.
i need to hire executives.
i need to realign my priorities.
i need to treat this like a marathon.
took me a while to share this vulnerability..
— wil (@wilxlee) March 2, 2022
but i realize sharing this may not only help me flush out my thoughts and my well being..
it could also resonate with some of you whose struggling in your own battle.
to know at least we are in it tgt 😏
much love🌟
wil
ps: dw – im more than ok ready to conquer the world again, bc NFTS DON’T SLEEP!!! 🤣🤣🤣
— wil (@wilxlee) March 2, 2022
NOTE
This thread content is created by @wilxlee and shared for educational purposes only.