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Shivam Ramphal

How do makers and founders feel an appreciation in their work?

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I have a friend of mine contemplating discontinuing her startup, due to people around her, even herself not appreciating the work that she has done. How do you as a creator or maker have a sense of appreciation for your work when it is not working at this current moment?

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Tatiana Kukova, PhD
This is an interesting story. What is even more intriguing is how your friend sees success. I call it the 'entrepreneur's identity standard of success'. What is 'success' to her personally? Everything else that she does comes from it. The meanings that she gives to herself guides her entrepreneurial actions (i.e. the decision to discontinuing her startup). If you want to know more about this, you can read my book where I provide many examples from start-up founders.
Jacek Wójcik
I just look at my work and think to myself "It's not working. Yet" :) In my opinion, we should divide our work into the smallest pieces possible, because then we will be able to clearly see what works and what doesn't, and thus we will see progress that we can already appreciate.
Shivam Ramphal
Maya
@jackhalabardnik, great advice. Take it to step by step to avoid any major confusion and overwhelming emotions. Doing so will make you more concentrative on the goal while seeing your progress grow naturally.
Alexa Vovchenko
Maybe a friend of yours could just look around and see how many people haven't achieved what she already has. I mean, for majority building a startup is so hard that they don't even think about it, and a friend of yours did, she's building something valuable and something that can generate money, how many people actually dare to do this?
Shivam Ramphal
Maya
@aleksandra_vovchenko, wonderful insights; I agree with your perspective on focusing more on passion, and feeling proud of what you are doing rather than what everybody else thinks.
Shivam Ramphal
Maya
Thanks for your expertise @kukova_tatiana, so it has to do with the passion she has for this specific idea. Then deciphering whether she doing it as a hobby or a career.