Note: Since I announced the news early last week, i’ve been inundated with messages — requests from investors, notes from supportive friends, and inquiries from folks who wanna work with me. It’s been humbling to see the response. I apologize to any who have not yet heard back from me. As you can imagine, i’ve been very busy. Now for today’s post…

The ancient Greek warriors were some of the toughest fighters of the time. It wasn’t so much their training or their weapons or their tactics. It was their unwavering commitment to win. When they would arrive on enemy shores, the first orders from their commanders would be to “burn the boats.” And they did. They torched their boats. The message was loud and clear: there was no turning back. There was no retreat. No surrender. The only way out was forward. Victory or death. No other outcome.

It’s told that when Cortes landed in Mexico in the 1500′s, he had the same thing done. The ships were burned. He made sure his crew had no way back, except as heroes.

I could have easily started building my startup as a side project, working nights and weekends. I could have saved any possible embarrassment, because no one would have known if I failed. I could have continued to learn and validate my idea. I could have started assembling the team. A great six-figure salary would have continued and I wouldn’t have put my family at such great financial risk. There would have been no pressure. There would have been no downside.

So why did I choose a different path?

Because I believe the best entrepreneurs burn the boats. I wouldn’t call myself a Founder otherwise.

When the boats are burned, you are fully committed. Your heart and mind are 100% focused. No distractions. No side-projects. No looking back. It’s all-in and all-the-time. You can’t retreat back to your day job. You’re out on the street and forced to hustle. No flight, only fight. You will win or die trying.

It’s a beautiful thing. I’ve landed on this island, my boats are burned, and I have no other choice but to make this new startup work. The savings account gets smaller and smaller every single day. The clock is ticking. It’s uncomfortable and it’s hard. But nothing will force me to move faster and perform better than the raw instinct of survival. I must deliver. There’s no such thing as a mulligan. Moving forward and #winning is the only way out. I will find a way. I always do.

Let’s build our hut and find some grub. I’m hungry.

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”
- Walt Disney