Biggest Challenges Faced by a Founder at The SHE Mark
Sterling's biggest challenge as Creator and Founder of The SHE Mark is navigating the transition from initial ideation to scaling the business, stating "I brought my idea to reality...what do I do now?". This involves tackling unforeseen growth obstacles and learning "pieces of growing into a space that you don't realize when you're starting the company".
Entrepreneurship, Business Growth, Problem-Solving, Leadership, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Sterling Champion
Creator & Founder
The SHE Mark
Tufts University, 2012
N/A
Biology & Related Sciences
Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking, Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Entrepreneurship and Business Owner
Disabled
Video Highlights
1. Taking a company to the next level after the initial launch phase presents unique challenges.
2. Growth requires tackling unforeseen problems and adapting to new challenges in unfamiliar areas.
3. Learning about and addressing the unknown aspects of business growth is a continuous process.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
My biggest challenge right now is approaching and facing this new phase of my company. When you start a company, it's really exciting. You're full of ideas, ideating a lot and figuring out what it would look like, what your branding's going to be, and coming up with all of these amazing ideas.
Once you put it out in the world, you're faced with a whole other set of challenges. Now I have a certain number of people involved, and I need to figure out how to take this to the next level. What does growth look like, and how do I get there?
There are pieces of growing into a space that you don't realize when you're starting the company, especially if you're not familiar with the industry. You can learn as much as you can going into it, but you're always going to face new challenges that you didn't anticipate. You don't know what you don't know.
Once you discover these challenges, the question becomes how to tackle them. So that's my biggest challenge right now: figuring out, okay, I've brought my idea to reality and I have users and customers. What now? What do I do next?