The Art of Perseverance.
per·se·ver·ance
noun
persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
"his perseverance with the technique illustrates his single-mindedness"
When I founded Nikola Power, I had visions of quick success. I knew I had experience, great ideas, oodles of LinkedIn connections and a track record of business victories. Over four years later, I often laugh at my earlier self. Now, I am almost numb to rejection and even laugh when VCs say “you are just a little bit early for us, but we love your team, your vision, your experience.”
One of the great lessons of running a start-up is how to avoid over-thinking, dwelling or obsessing - over one point of view, one piece of advice or one unreasonable comment.
Startup-land is a riddle. It is crazy to assume that as entrepreneurs, we can set a vision, build a product, attract talent, and find customers all without capital and yet, thousands successfully start businesses everyday.
Nikola Power is persistent. We fiercely believe in our mission of creating a 100% renewable powered world, and that energy storage is the missing piece to our clean energy future. Intelligent software that supports industry players model, optimize, finance, and operate energy storage paired with renewable energy is the key to driving scale of distributed energy storage.
Our inspired and thoughtful idea brought us early success with angel investors and Techstars; however, in the near-term, we struggled to turn that investment into repeatable and consistent SaaS revenue (yet!).
COVID-19 kicked our company in the teeth. Cash strapped and with customers moving far too slow, our team got frustrated and the lack of VC funding and little good news took a toll on our momentum and morale. And I was no exception and shared in their anger and frustration.. It was a recipe for startup disaster .
Now fast-forward 18 months. With new team members, clearer focus, stronger political support and solid traction, Nikola Power is on the brink of success.
We have new customers (our largest software contract win to date), a new lead investor and a dedicated, committed team. And our mission and vision continue to stay on course. Given our current trajectory and our recent seed round, I can see our future more clearly than ever. With unparalleled confidence and renewed passion, I can see repeatable, consistent and exponentially scalable SaaS software revenue future for Nikola Power.
The CEO in me is still fighting fatigue while managing a never ending amount of critical items, meetings, partner opportunities, business deals, slack messages and family. But the fighter in me never gives in. I have learned, pivoted, and evolved, my efforts endlessly over the last four years. Some call it perseverance. I call it being a startup CEO.
Nikola Power has a lot of important work ahead of us - a giant market to tackle, great partners to advance our business with and a phenomenal, experienced team with which to make it all happen. I’ve experienced many successes throughout the course of my career, and now feel primed to do it again. Who is ready to join us? Please reach out! We’re passionately on the path to success and welcome partners on the journey whether it be projects, business deals or investment.
Perseverance has long been the secret sauce to success. Here are a few others who’ve paved the way for us. Enjoy learning about their journeys to success and embrace their endless commitment to achieving their dreams.
Perseverance has long been the secret sauce to success. Below are others who navigated long, arguidos journeys but never gave up. Enjoy learning about their paths to success and embrace their endless commitment to achieving their dreams.
Opal Lee - In 2016, civil rights leader Opal Lee, then 89, walked from her home in Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., a 1400-mile journey, to ask President Barack Obama to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday - the day when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Texas - 2½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation. She gained national attention and garnered 1.6 signatures supporting her petition. Last week on June 18th, 2021, President Biden signed the bill declaring June 19th as America’s newest federal holiday.
Henry Ford - Ford innovated industrial production with the assembly line. However, before founding the extremely successful Ford Motor Company he was previously bankrupt and left penniless 5 times from failed ventures.
Harland Davis Sanders - Before becoming Colonel Sanders, determined Harland shopped his now world-famous fried chicken recipe to 1,009 restaurants before finding a buyer.
Dr. Katalin Karikó - This previously unsung hero recently received the 2022 Vilcek Prize for Excellence in Biotechnology. While often fighting for recognition and funding for her work, she is now internationally revered for her scientific contributions that directly led to the development of the mRNA vaccines to combat COVID-19.
Walt Disney - Walt Disney has entertained children all over the world for nearly a century and created a multi-billion-dollar merchandising empire. Mr. Disney was fired from his first job at the Kansas City Star because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Ironically, years later the Walt Disney Company acquired the Kansas City Star with the purchase of parent company ABC.
Albert Einstein - Although the name Einstein is now almost exclusively associated with genius, young Albert was not viewed as much of a prospective scholar. His parents and teachers began to think he was mentally challenged and socially awkward because he did not speak until the age of 4 or read until he was 7.
Jackie Robinson - This sharecropper’s son became the first African American to play in the MLB. During his 10-year MLB career, Robinson won the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award, was an All-Star for six seasons, became the first African American to win the National League MVP Award and played in six World Series - all while encountering considerable obstacles along the way including often being unable to share the same travel accommodations as his teammates because of Jim Crow laws.
Malala Yousafzai - This amazingly brave woman could have stopped her activism after being shot in the head by her opposition. In turn, it only fueled her commitment to building access to education for girls and women, gaining her international fame and earning her a Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 19.
Socrates - Widely considered one of the greatest thinkers of the Classical Era, his ideas were not always regarded positively. In fact, he was sentenced to death because of his “new-age ideas” and branded “an immoral corrupter of youth.” Although his death prevented him from continuing his work, history continues to credit his work as the foundation of Western philosophy
Thomas Edison - Considered unteachable as a youth, Edison changed the world by inventing the lightbulb. Before this game changing accomplishment, Edison discovered over a thousand different 1,000 ways how he could not build a light bulb.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg - While she is best known for her transformative work on the supreme court, it was her relentless determination and perseverance that got her the job. Despite being an Ivy League school graduate three times over, she was unable to find a job after law school and despite numerous setbacks chartered her own and unconventional course to the top.
Vincent Van Gogh - Van Gogh’s Starry Night ranks among the world’s most recognized paintings. Throughout the artist’s life, he only sold one painting; however, that did not stop him from pursuing his passion and he painted over 800 other pieces while living in poverty. Today, Van Gogh’s “unappreciated” work sells for millions.
Jack London - White Fang and Call of the Wild are revered literary classics. In his early career, London submitted his first story over 600 times before getting published.
Elvis Presley - Before becoming a household name, Elvis was fired by Jimmy Denny, then manager of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, after one show saying “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin’ a truck.”
Steven Spielberg - After high school, Steven Spielberg was rejected three times from the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television. After attending California State University, Long Beach, he subsequently dropped out and pursued directing without a degree. We went on to direct and produce numerous Hollywood blockbusters including Jaws, E.T., Saving Private Ryan, The Color Purple, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind just to name a few.
These examples prove that no matter what roadblocks come along, success is achievable for those brave enough to persevere.
“No matter what roadblocks come along, success is achievable for those brave enough to persevere.”
— JW Postal
