Winter’s Lessons for Entrepreneurs

Pre-launch is the season for preparing.

Dragging snowshoed feet through thigh-deep white drifts, I reflected on what the season of winter has to teach tech startups about their season of pre-launch.

Just like winter in my Northern home, the season of pre-launch can make a founder tough. Or soft. Especially if it drags on too long.

What is pre-launch? Definitions vary. Mine is that time when you have pretty much made up your mind to start a new company, before significant commitments.

You haven’t quit your job, incurred major ongoing expenses, set delivery dates for customers. You have not — heaven forbid — started paying salaries to others.

And in my definition of pre-launch, you have not taken outside investment.

Winter is the time to get ready.

Just like winter, pre-launch is a vitally useful time, all too easy to squander. We all know spring and summer will go better if we keep active and get ready in winter. Yet winter…