Far too many committed entrepreneurs with a fantastic idea find that there are a thousand things that need to be fixed right from the start. Some feel that they are standing alone in front of a high wall that must be overcome. A thick, slippery and cold wall that they have to climb over to get out where the important investors, customers and partners are waiting for them.
– The public support apparatus, FFF investors and angel investors provide financial start-up assistance to entrepreneurs, but the requirement for a “track-record” or “ability to implement” quickly becomes clear.
Most people who spend their time or money on a startup want to see that something happens and that something is created. The time window is also limited. If an entrepreneur spends a long time or a lot of resources without delivering visible results, then a negative reputation often runs ahead of the positive trust that you want to build.
The founder of Purpose AS, Kenny Hognestad, has for more than 20 years helped many managers with goal management, and in recent years he has become particularly fond of the OKR framework as an instrument for maintaining focus and creating interaction. With a heart that beats hard for entrepreneurs, six inspiring years at Telia and a key role in the Telia Startup venture, he puts into words here a classic dilemma:
– As an entrepreneur, one moment you stand and say that you have a brilliant idea and a fantastic team, and the next moment you have to say no thanks to most of the opportunities that you have managed to create.
Execution starts with a willingness to focus.
Track record and ability to execute is about showing that you deliver. You must deliver quickly enough and big enough. You must deliver stable efforts that provide the basis for predictable results. You must deliver what you say, i.e. the expectations you have created. The people around you want to see you achieve concrete, exciting and impressive milestones that show that you are on the move and that you will succeed in the exciting journey you have started and taken them on.
OKR is a framework for goal management that has helped Google and many other companies in their early stages. What is the main principle of OKR that makes it so well suited for entrepreneurs in an early phase?
Here, Kenny shares one of his many thoughts.