10 Important Lessons I’ve Learned From Launching a Startup

6. Shoot for the stars.

It’s easy to do easy, simple is hard, and exceptional is rare. I’ve learned the hard way by falling short and copying others too many times. Shooting for the stars is the only way to grow a successful business.

It is easier to set impossible goals and then scale them back to reality. Making the most with the least is guaranteed to open new doors.

7. We have no idea what we’re doing.

I mean this in the most constructive and thoughtful way possible. My partner and I have over ten years of experience working with more than a dozen companies. But like human knowledge and scientific theory, everything you know can change in an instant.

It’s humbling to be completely open in every respect, both personally and professionally. We’ve found that while entertaining and exploring every new idea and possible innovation within our business, we may end up having no idea what we’re actually doing. Failure is only mental, as it leads to new ideas and innovations.

8. Find the balance of work and life.

The adage that I’ve come to adopt is, “The more you work, the less you get done.” And this proverb isn’t just about work productivity. I want to live my life in thirds: 1/3 work, 1/3 life, and 1/3 sleep. Yes, work is important, but you can never go back and relive your life.

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“Life is short and every moment counts. I don’t want to be so focused on growing a business and making changes in the world that I forget to have a family, fall in love, have great friendships, and create invaluable experiences.”

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Life is short and every moment counts. I don’t want to be so focused on growing a business and making changes in the world that I forget to have a family, fall in love, have great friendships, and create invaluable experiences. Having this balance is the best way I’ve found to help achieve long-term goals and happiness.

9. Grow to let go.

If you ask any of the people who know me they will probably all agree in partially defining me as a control freak. But one of the growing pains of having a startup company is that at some point, as founders, we’ve realized we couldn’t (and shouldn’t) be doing it all. Because our time is valuable, we’re always working to remove ourselves as bottlenecks (our own worst enemy).

10. It’s not me. It’s we.

There is no longer an “I” in my professional life. Every project we do, every idea we come up with, every meeting we have has our entire company in mind. The reality is that no part of any project is the product of one person alone.

We are a team and act as one. When we’re not with each other, we talk up the other and vice versa. This idea is integral to our culture, growth, and sense of community.

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Ryan Riegner is the co-founder of L+R , a New York-based creative agency.