Brad Feld

Back to Blog

Fear Is In The Air

Jan 18, 2016

Screen Shot 2016-01-18 at 11.08.06 AMOr at least on the blogs and in the mainstream media. It’s kind of amazing to me how two shitty weeks in the public markets can impact how every one thinks and talks about things.

I know the early presidential campaign is impacting this. The amount of vitriol, hatred, and fear that is coming out of the mouths of the various people running for president always surprises me. I know it shouldn’t, but it does.

As 2016 kicks into gear, I have simple advice for founders that I offer up every time things get noisy – in either direction (good or bad).

Focus on what you can impact. Tune out the noise. Concentrate on things that matter. Have a long term view. 

I know it’s simple. And I know it’s hard, because it’s the distraction that creeps into every conversation. It’s the discomfort of an uncertain future that lurks around every corner. And when it gets amplified and whipped into a frenzy, it seduces you to focus on the wrong things.

As Yoda likes to say, “Calm you shall keep and carry on you must.”