7 Startup Lessons You Can Learn From Leonardo DiCaprio
by Perjan Duro, Founder
Well this is like a national holiday all over the internet. Finally he got it. After 6 nominations, DiCaprio got what he deserved for more years now.
As I got a push notification at 02:00 AM (well I live in Europe), I just saw the breaking news: Leonardo DiCaprio has won the Oscar as the Best Actor!
That made me thing about the startup life and the similarities that it has with Leo’s life.
So I put down a set of points (not a listicle) to inspire myself and you too in doing an amazing work always.
1. Don’t take anything for granted
As DiCaprio said himself in his speech, don’t take anything for granted.This is probably the most powerful message of the day. It is so powerful that I am printing it and hanging it on the wall. You can get your copy here too.
What it means for startups
As we get new users and we reach the “hockey stick” growth point, we tend to leave something behind our eyes or priorities. We tend to just “forget” one of the most important parts, our users. As the business is in the quick growth phase, you feel like you earned it and then enjoy the success.
But as soon as you do this, you are taking your customer base for granted. And in a way or another, they notice it. As soon as they have this feeling, you have lost not just a user, but the potential for this user to be an ambassador of your startup.
2. There is no such thing as an Overnight Success
The first time I saw Leo was in the Titanic movie. He played even way before this blockbuster, but that’s pretty much the starting point for Leo, if you ask people and fans about him. From Titanic until the Oscars 2016, he always keeps doing what he does best.
What it means for startups
As a startup founder, I tend to read a lot of news and soon to be unicorns, and it seems like they just went famous overnight. But if you dig deeper and learn more, every founder goes through a painful/rewarding experience that spans over more sleepless years and tons of caffeine. We must fight everyday, face problems, solve them, get better. Then hope for the best.
You cannot pretend to release your product, even though it is awesome, to get famous and used overnight. You cannot pretend that whatever you do is going to get featured by Techcrunch or any other major publication. You just need to do your best, day in and day out.
3. Always get better
Let’s start with the Titanic. From there I always admired Leo’s ability to outperform himself in every new movie. He always does something new, something different. He always takes on new challenging roles and gets the best out of every character.
What it means for startups
Well, my first app was developed in 2011. If I look at the code now and the designs, I laugh nostalgically. And so do you with your first product, I am sure of it.
But that didn’t stop me from always improving myself, learning new skills, learning new technologies and techniques, reading a lot and getting inspirations from the big boys in the industry.
The same thing is true for every startup. As Reid Hoffman said:
If you are not ashamed of the first iteration of your product, you released too late.
You must not stop with the first or even tenth iteration of your product and call it done. There is no done in the startup life. You go to sleep and you come back tomorrow, eager to improve on what you build yesterday. This is the only road to success.
4. Do the best for your fans/users
What I like about Leonardo DiCaprio, is that he never stops thanking his fans and giving them year after year cinematography masterpieces. He never stops delivering great work, and he is always grateful.
Image courtesy of AP Photo
What it means for startups
When you are a startup, you should always see the world with your user’s eyes. What do they need, how we can help them, what can we improve so they can be happy.
At MoneyCoach, we have a mantra: Make every user’s life better. Motivate them and help them grow.
Which means that you should always get feedback from your users, in order to understand how you can mold the product around them. In this way the users feel connected with you and appreciate you even more.
5. Explore new horizons
When a director comes to you and says that we will shoot an entire film only using natural light, what would you think? In 2015, where the CGI is way of life in Hollywood and crazy special effects are indistinguishable from reality, would you be ready to go this far, backwards?
Well, Leo did it and it got him the long awaited Oscar.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox
What it means for startups
Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. The world is such a magnificent place once you set yourself to explore new ways of doing things. They don’t have to be completely groundbreaking ideas, just better.
Don’t try to find solutions using old methods, rather find solutions by creating new paths. Always ask yourself: Is there another better way to do this?
Only then you can fully exploit your inner genius.
6. Always be smiling
What really struck a cord on me, what last year Oscars. More specifically the point when Leo didn’t get the Oscar. Even though he should have flipped out, he smiled and leaned back instead. He didn’t lose his nerve, and that is remarkable.
What it means for startups
The startup life is extremely hard and like a rollercoaster. You never know what the next turn might be. You just get in and hope for the best.
Most of the times, there will be a lot of failures and drawbacks that make you question yourself: Is this really worth it?
But you know what the answer is? Yes it is worth it. Every. Single. Day. I always approach every failure with a smile, and so should you. You should smile, because you will not do the same error again. Now you learned it the hard way. And that is the best gift you can get from a failure. Always be smiling
7. Never give up
6 times, 6 nominations, a lot of tireless years and blockbuster movies. That is what it took DiCaprio to get recognised for his outstanding work. What I really admire about him, is that he never gave up. And consider that every time it gets harder to get rejected and to fail.
But somehow, Leo managed to go through all as he never gave up, even though when the whole world was telling him to.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox
What it means for startups
Relentless work in an everlasting quest to reach as many people as possible and make their lives better. That should be always your North Star. There will be a lot of problems, there will be a lot of setbacks, but that doesn’t mean we should get carried away by negative thoughts. We should get stronger and pursue our vision. Even when people cannot (yet) understand your vision, you should proceed forward.
Never give up as success might just be around the corner. You just need to go ahead and meet it.
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Thanks for reading — I am Perjan Duro. I am an app developer, founder, content creator. Right now we are changing the world of personal finance.
Since 2010, I’ve been helping people make things and delight users. You can ask me to work with you, invite me to speak at your event, or set up a conversation on your podcast. I’m excited to hear from you!