By Mark Sendo
Creating something entirely new (in our case, the world’s first extreme arena sport) isn’t easy, but if you have the drive and the passion, it can be done. I first came up with the idea for AirBlade in 1999, but I didn't launch my company until 2013, along with my co-founder Alaina Blake.
Here are a few of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in the process of creating AirBlade, building our rink prototypes, and launching our first Kickstarter:
- Expect challenges. Launching a new project is extremely challenging and I don’t say that lightly. The early days of a new idea are exhilarating and exciting. But as you start making those ideas a reality, you will be met with constant challenges. Know this going into it. Expect it.
- Expect more challenges. I’ve got news for you -- the farther down the road to success you get, the bigger your challenges become. Plan the best you can, but the best preparation is one that allows you to stay nimble enough to tackle each new challenge as it comes. If it were easy, everyone would do it.
- Drive your company with passion. AirBlade has been a great experience for my team because it’s so different from anything else any of us have done before. The way we see it, it’s more of a revolution than a company. Whatever you are building, the challenges and the risks you face in starting something new have to be worth it to you. Use your passion for your idea as the driver and you’ll always be ready for another day at the office.
- Don’t shy away from ambition. A big part of our visibility and success thus far was securing a charity game played on our new ProRink with three Detroit Red Wings alumni that will be broadcast live on Pay-Per-View. The success of this event, and the success of our Kickstarter campaign, has hinged on the deal we secured with the Red Wings alums. We dreamed big on that one, and it was a huge challenge to make it a reality. But it paid off in the end. If you want to go big, you can’t shy away from your high aspirations.
- Don’t shy away from expensive projects, either. Constructing our rink prototypes was a lot of work and it was expensive. But creating something new always takes time and money. Do your due diligence, but don’t let a hefty price tag be the only thing standing between you and success.
- Listen to your smartest people. The best piece of advice I can give other entrepreneurs is to bring in people who are smarter than you and actually listen to them. It takes many roles in a company to make it a success. Find talented people with expertise in different areas of your business, ask them for their insight and advice, and then listen to them. This will take you further than you think.
- Get to know the crowdfunding community. Another big piece of our success was in our Kickstarter project. If you're going the crowdfunding route, it’s important to get involved in the Kickstarter (or other crowdfunding platform) community before your project goes live. Post on blogs, get to know other Kickstarter projects and interact with people within the community. It helps create visibility, but you also can learn a lot in the process about what does and does not work.
Ultimately, to succeed as an entrepreneur, you have to be willing to tackle challenges head-on and not get deterred by the huge barriers that stand in your path. If you know that going into it and you’re willing to fight, you’re already ahead of the game.
Mark Sendo is the inventor, founder and CEO of Airblade, a new extreme, X Games-style pro sport.
