I’m at a fascinating point in my startup journey. I am still growing my company, I don’t think of myself as a success yet. Not until I’m wildly profitable or I’ve been acquired for a suitable amount will I think of myself as ‘successful’. So far, I’m doing alright, and am on a good path, but I won’t declare myself a ‘success’ just yet.

So it always surprises me when fresh young startup folk, trying to get their startup off the ground, come to ask me for advice. I’m one of you, really, and it freaks me out a little to see this look of admiration and respect from these people. Really, do you want to take advice from *me*??

Then I start talking, and I realise I do actually have some advice that is pertinent. I now do know a lot of people, have learnt a lot by doing a lot of stupid things wrong, have been exposed to the machinations of other fabulous startup folk, and am friends with a lot of Angels and VCs… so it seems there is a degree of value I can give to those just starting out.

The problem is, I’m still growing my own company. I’m working 15 hour days, most weekends, I don’t take a lunch break, I avoid all non-essential meetings. My number one priority is making my company a success, and second to that is ensuring I stay sane and vaguely healthy and don’t piss my close friends and family off too much. My time is VERY precious, its my number one resource. I pay a cleaner, I catch cabs everywhere, I live as close to work as I can… anything I can do to earn a few spare minutes a day to dedicate to work or my sanity/friends/family.

So, when I get asked by these newbies for help, I am torn. On one hand, I was given so much support, advice and tutelage by advisers and other startup folk when I first began. I knew nothing, and was so blessed with people that taught me and were patient with me and answered all my questions. All they wanted in return, I am sure, is that I give back to others at some stage. I believe in this ethos, about passing things on, and I am a passionate advocate of the startup community, in London and internationally.

However, there is something else that those advisers and startup folk wanted in return, even if they didn’t consciously think this. And that was: evidence that I was willing to put myself out as well, that I was willing to work hard, not take short-cuts, and give back to the community myself. And perhaps, that they saw that I had what it took to be an entrepreneur, and were willing to invest in me. Although I didn’t know very much at the time, I was determined to make it, and I threw myself into learning everything I could. I read every tech blog I could find every day for months and months before I even started my startup; I knew everything that was happening in the scene, all the important opinion-formers, all the key startups, all the basic advice on how to pitch and get funding. I read books and business blogs. I went to every talk, meet-up, event and conference I could. I worked hard and demonstrated I was willing to work even harder. This was not something I wanted to try, this was something I clearly wanted to do more than anything, and I had dedicated my life at that point onwards to make it happen. And I tried to be an interesting and fun person to those who gave me advice. This last one is possibly the least understood, but probably one of the most fundamental. Newbies have nothing to offer advisers and more seasoned startup folk, except being an interesting engaging person to be around. So they should do this well. They should contribute to the community with their energy and commitment and effort, and be fun people to hang out with. The London startup community is unbelievably entertaining, and its because we don’t always talk about work, but we party, drink, dance, travel and hang-out together as friends as well. You may not have much to offer in terms of knowledge and experience, but you can be a damn fine person to hang out with, and that can often be contribution enough.

So, when I get well-intentioned and polite emails asking me to give up part of my day to teach a newbie about how I got funding, I am torn. I love to help, but will I compromise the success of my company, will I risk my sanity, or will I give up my very very rare and precious time with close friends and family, for someone that perhaps just wants a shortcut or an easy way to success… I just won’t take that risk. If the person were someone personally recommended to me by a good friend who put their reputation on the line and asked me to spend time with them, then I would as a favour to my friend. And if the person put in a solid effort, became a part of the community, and gave a part of themselves to increase the vibrancy and fascination of the industry, and consequently became a friend of mine, then I definitely will help. I do both these things all the time very happily. But will I give an hour of my 15-hour day to someone I met for 2 minutes at a conference, that I have never seen before, and just wants me to give them a short-cut with no clear cut requests for what they want to know… however much I want to help and be polite, I just can’t work any harder than I do or risk the things that really matter to me, for this kind of situation.

So, newbies: please don’t take this as a rejection, but as a challenge and hopefully an inspiration. If you are to make it as an entrepreneur, you will be beset by more challenges and hardships that you can possibly imagine, and no VC will ever invest in you unless you can prove you have the tenacity, ingenuity, and passionate willingness to roll your sleeves up and make things work for you, not by asking for charity, but by being so appealing and engaging that people offer to help you because you are so much fun, and so easy to help.

A good example: one newbie I met at a conference this week sent me an email that was short, polite, and asked two very clear questions about funding. I was able in 2 minutes to reply with useful advice. I’m more than happy to do this. CEOs of startups are fucking busy and stressed people. If you want their help, frame it in a way that makes it easy for them to help you, or that makes it a delight for them to help you. Asking very clear and defined questions via very short emails is the way to do it. Sending them the story of your life and then asking them to take an hour out of their day so you can ‘pick your brain about general funding issues’ will never get a response. Not because they are rude or don’t care, but because they genuinely don’t have the time to help everyone that asks them, and they filter based on who is ultimately going to be a friend, valuable to the community, or who shows they have what it takes to be an entrepreneur themselves by being clever in how they approach busy people.

The way to get me – I go to a regular start-up events, but I work long and hard, so want to chat to fun interesting people when I go to these events. If I meet someone fun and interesting and easy to talk to, and they throw in a very clear question or two about something I can help with, I’ll help happily. If you come referred to me through a trusted friend or adviser, I’ll definitely help as well.

So, newbies, be entrepreneurial in your approach to learning how to become an entrepreneur, else, sorry to say this, you probably won’t make it as an entrepreneur yourself.

Its been a very very long time since I have written in this blog. The last post was such a fitting place to stop, that it felt almost criminal to sully such a poetic ending with a banal next post.

However, much has happened in the last 14 months. My company has gone from a startup that literally *just* survived bankruptcy to a company now that employs 27 people and has thousands of clients all over the world. We have completed two rounds of VC funding in that time, and have gone from being unknowns to being featured in Wired, the Financial Times and TechCrunch many a time. I’ve gone from being a very hands-on product/sales/testing/operations person to having to learn to delegate and now focused on strategy, international business development and leading and motivating a diverse group of people. I find myself more satisfied and excited than I ever have in any professional capacity, but also working harder and more intensely than I would have ever thought healthy.

So, I thought it might be time to resurrect this ol’ blog of mine, and continue to share some of my thoughts, learnings and experiences.

Boy am I glad I have separated the corporate blog from my personal blog. I have written now a very sensible and official post on the corporate blog about our funding round, which took me a very long time to write, as I kept wanting to burst into admissions of honesty.

However, I restrained myself, but now am ready to pop. Here is where I can say what I really feel.

YIIIIHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After 13 months of easily the hardest, most stressful, challenging, exhausting, demoralising, desperate time of my life, I am finally out of the tunnel and the light is strong. I don’t want to jinx myself, and I am not unrealistic about the challenges ahead, so I don’t want to wax too lyrical about how easy life is now. But, I would be lying if I said a mammoth gargantuan weight hadn’t been lifted from me. I feel lighter, younger, bouncier, and so much happier.

I used to describe my life as a mash-up between Groundhog Day and The Dragon’s Den : one never-ending series of pitches where I was politely rejected. There are a lot of similarities between pitching and dating: you don’t get it if you are looking for it, and they can sense the desperation. And I can attest to the truth in that.

Anyway, here are some of the learnings I have gleaned from this process:

1. It takes a lot longer than you plan – months and months and months. And apparently this was a quick funding deal. !!!
2. Read your term sheet very well, and get a lawyer involved early. I didn’t, and suffered a bit for it.
3. Stand up for things that are critical – in my negotiations, there were a few points that I was adamant about. I learned how to negotiate and be firm on the areas that were key for me, my team, and my current investors.
4. Find balance – I was lucky to have incredible non-tech non-startup friends and a boyfriend who soothed the woes from me on the weekends, allowing me to do 15 hour days mid-week. I needed that balance. My family too, although in Australia, were incredibly supportive and full of love.
5. There is always a way that will work – this has actually been a motto in my life… I remember once I bought a large two piece sofa before I saw the flat I was moving into. When it arrived, my boyfriend and I worked for hours trying to find a layout that would work, and we just couldn’t. But I inately felt a solution would appear, and after a few more heavings and pushes, we found it, and it was perfect. This lesson applies to so much of my life: you gotta shove and push and think and take breaks and take advice and shove a bit more, but there is a combination out there that works if you push hard enough.

My favourite quote is from my lead investor’s blog about this deal – he sums it up really well (perhaps better than he realises):

Skimbit is led by tenacious Australian entrepreneur Alicia Navarro who kept her company and vision alive by sheer force of will through a long search for the right business model and then for financing.

Yep, it sure was a sheer force of will. But I’m here now, relieved, thankful, energised and thrilled. My dream continues… to be honest, it kinda has already happened. Yes, I want riches and wealth, but really what drives me isn’t money, its proving I can do it. And in this climate, as an Aussie female with a Spanish name in London in the midst of a financial crisis, to get enough really smart and amazing VCs and Angels to fund my tech startup because they believe in me… and to have my father say he is proud of me… well, what more do I need to do, really? Oh yes, become a millionaire, but its that sense of inner glee and pride that I yearned for, and now, have.

The road still stretches out before me, but I tread it now confidently, and with a brave heart.

When I first started this blog, I had a grand vision. I would write about the trials and tribulations of starting a web startup, imparting the wisdom I picked up along the way, and the mishaps that would no doubt trip me up as I trudged on.

Part of my strategy was to keep my burgeoning company name a secret, to build anticipation and a community around my soon-to-be-launched website. This strategy partly worked: a small following tracked my progress, and I could be delightfully honest about my experiences. I was no-one, and my company didn’t exist yet, so I was frank and vulnerable in all my posts. Look back and read if you are interested.

Then, I launched my website, moved to London, and threw myself into the entrepreneurial scene. I became relatively known, and my website started to be known. I started seeking VC funding, and needed to demonstrate how capable I was, and how great things were going. I found my blogging compromised, as I could no longer share my vulnerabilities, mishaps and hopes, on what had become my company’s blog.

A great deal has occurred in the last few months, which I have covered in what is now to be my company’s blog. I want to reclaim Birth of a Startup now, to return to being my personal blog, where I write honestly, with both vulnerability and hopeful pride, about what it is to be a female Australian tech entrepreneur, living in London.

So please, if you want to read about my businesses, delete this blog from your RSS feed. If you are new to this blog, add it to your RSS, but make no effort to find out about my businesses. It is best if we keep the two separate. Of course, I may have achieved nothing but stirring your curiosity, but I hope that you respect the spirit in which this blog reinvention is made. Welcome to Birth of a Startup!