Navin Goyal MD

This scenario happens more often than we know. The best BUT most challenging route is to have an open dialogue up to what is realistic for the time and resources at hand. Remind the investors of the vision and reason why they invested, and sometimes we try to timeline everything at the cost of a lower quality or less sustainable outcome. Having this conversation can be challenging, but we should have these discussions and have confidence in what is reasonable for investors' expectations. 1. Have an open dialogue 2. Adjust expectations and hold accountability 3. Regularly revisit these expectations I’ve seen and experienced this often and open communication is a great way to mutually build trust as we adjust expectations.

The short-term adversity and stress that come with market volatility can sometimes feel like a long time. We have to take a step back and remember to expect volatility and expect to see this through because all great things weren’t built quickly. A few things that have helped: ▪️Find patience - We can gain it if we don’t have it - small steps to understand why and how can be helpful ▪️Ask for help - Open up and ask for different perspectives, because we aren’t alone. ▪️Have gratitude- Our investors, our stakeholders, and our employees have invested in us, and we have the opportunity to make this happen. It seems long until we take a step back and realize it’s a smaller part of a bigger picture. Good luck out there!

What we NEED to stay afloat and what we WANT to stay afloat are two separate pathways. In my experience in building and investing in multiple startups, I have found a few things helpful: going back to how we generate revenue and who is needed, how we collect from customers and how long that takes, and speaking to all vendors about options to pay later are a few initial steps. Most times there are many opportunities to get leaner, smarter, and revisit our processes or to find that there are none. Good luck out there and remember, courage is needed to make these tough decisions but it’s the necessary pathway to keep the doors open and eventually sustainably employ people.

I’ve been burned out a few times and a few things have reignited my passion: ▪️I took a little time off (seems obvious but with a supportive team I was able to unplug and enjoy some leisure activities ▪️I reflected on the parts or tasks in my day that took away energy or added stress, and I paid attention to what excited me and gave me energy. It’s important to broaden the things we get energy from and get help to complement other necessary tasks. ▪️Investing in myself- ensuring my sleep, movement, nutrition, and breathing were being worked on daily to strengthen my mindset and health. Getting burned out isn’t unusual but preparing the future potential episodes is what we can control today. Remember, we aren’t alone.

I’ve had many setbacks and challenges and it dawned on me that it is part of the process, not specifically a reflection of my capabilities and especially not a prediction of my future success. I’ve learned to be: honest with myself, learn from yesterday and apply them to today's decisions, ask for help with vulnerability, work on reducing or removing my ego so I have more space for growth, and share these experiences in the form of mentorship and meaningful conversations. These, along with personal development and awareness of my mental health have been very helpful to integrate all the obstacles as steps to my growth and fulfillment. Good luck out there!

One of the best ways to connect with others is to share experiences. When we gain experience through entrepreneurial pathways, we can offer a lot more empathy and effective ways to cope with the adversity in front of us. I’ve cofounded companies and invested in many, and from those I have had to change executives and bring in new ones. I usually bring this up when engaging in this uncomfortable situation but it allows the experience and understanding to enter the conversation first. Empathy is a great way to connect and if we can bring those experiences to problem-solving, it can be meaningful and productive for the teams involved. Best of luck out there!