We Don't Need Help...X!?#!

Sometimes we see wisdom in the characters we either love to love, or love to hate across all of the shows we watch. Current day drama's showcase the kind of plot lines and characters that are more twisted, self absorbed and F'ed up than ever, and yet we still manage to find ourselves buried somewhere in a part of the story line that we identify with, or associate with someone we know. Nightly escapism with a glass of whatever is hardly a new behavior, yet nonetheless, it still manages to help us tamp down the daily pressure that we all share. These days that pressure truly does feel more present in our work life, careers, and definitely our daily team dynamic.

Like many I was a quasi fan of the series "Billions". I enjoyed the gladiator like attitude of Axe and Wags; the bravado and the teflon swagger of the team traders. Yet mostly, I enjoyed the "whispering performance coach" Wendy Rhoades. She was equal parts brilliant, empathetic, and dare I say, an S/M goddess, if you recall her marriage proclivities?

Wendy is a platinum asset, a super hero guidepost that manages to level set every single egomaniac member of the team, steering them back to sanity when things went sideways. She made them feel like they fixed themselves. She acknowledges their insecurity, defuses their nuclear stress, and magically re-aligns focus, effort and tenacity. How? She's a highly active listener blended with equal parts toughness, empathy and clarity. But here's the real secret; she truly acts like a neutral. A team mediator, with purpose, and a secret weapon.

Like the hedge fund crowd in the show "Billions", founder teams in general share the same MCU super hero ethos. Kill or be killed, sleep when you're dead, save the world at all cost, never admit you have ever been wrong, or god forbid, need any help! Having worked with more than a few of those super hero types, I've learned that they all have a "kryptonite" syndrome when faced with being less than perfect, even if they know it could cost them their dream, and the dreams of the entire team sitting across from them.

I'm not trying to hang them up, or any one person out to dry here, being less than perfect is being human, but the truth is that the pressure to endure "pressure" is at a boiling point these days, and it's not getting better. Investors are under the same pressures, so dodging any number of real conflict issues out of fear of being outed is no longer a "hall pass" in 2024, as milestones, compressed timelines and the looming presence of down-rounding is more real than ever. Every single founder/CEO has been down the well and it feels crushing, but you can release the pressure valve, and you should for everyone's sake...

In the more than 20 years of doing our own startups, custom builds, application development (for big brands, agencies, customers), there was one thing we always recognized and heard weekly "if someone or some team was being disruptive and taking up to much discussion time in C team meetings, then they had to go, or someone had to intervene". 50% of the time the silo head or management team didn't respond, out of hubris. As a post mortem result, heads rolled, silo's imploded in some manner, we'd endure the disruption, release delay, release delay, pain in the ass, heavy drinking, and eventually, real failure that had systemic impact.

This is simply is no longer tolerated...

A few fun facts:

Early stage trends - US venture investment 2023 thru Q2 2024 *(VRC - Valuation Research Corporation) 2024

• In 2023 Venture funding fell to $248.4 billion, the lowest number since 2017. Deal volume also fell 30% year over year.

• Growth between rounds between 2023 and 2024 are at or near decade lows, with early-stage VC step-ups at 36.2% and late-stage at 11.2%.

• The number of down/flat rounds increased to 27.4% in Q1/24, the highest in a decade

Seed thru A round investments will continue to struggle due to a failure of winners clearly justify up-rounds. Venture is now scrutinizing all high functioning teams across every silo, not just the founder team. Seeking functional support, conflict coaching, and contextual guidance is more valuable and relevant than ever, not just to be higher functioning, but to help you and your venture partners proactively de-risk your shared investment together.

Sometimes it's just good to know someone has your back as a fellow entrepreneur, someone who truly knows your pressure. We created endure Partners because we lived this crazy life in several ways, and we are here to help you, whatever your issue may be. Nothing is too small or too overwhelming. A word of true advice, don't let pride, guilt or fear stand in the way of your success. If you need help then get it!

Give us a call, it's that simple.