What Actually Happens if I Run Out of Gas?

What actually happens when the Founder runs out of gas and just can't keep going?

Does the startup just... stop?

In a world where we're all facing some level of burnout, we also have to consider what would happen to our startups if we just stopped contributing.

I've coached nearly a thousand Founders and CEOs through this "outta gas" problem, as well as myself, and I can tell you without question — it's never as bad as it sounds!

Burnout is Inevitable

Look, we all get burnt out eventually.

It doesn't matter what kind of superstar athlete you are in your startup, there's only so much of this pace we can endure before we run out of gas. This shit is hard.

The late nights, the nonstop worrying, the constant "if we can just make it past this milestone we'll still be alive" moments. Our bodies are just weeping cortisol on a nonstop basis.

So thinking about what happens when there's nothing left in the tank is not only inevitable, it's healthy. If we don't create a plan of action around our own burnout if and (likely) when it happens, it makes the actual event 100x worse.

The problem is, our planning tends to be way off course because of how we picture things going when we burn out is also way off course!

What We Picture Will Happen

If you ask most Founders what they picture happening when they can no longer contribute, they will give you some apocalyptic version of events.

We picture the product no longer being built, customers running for the exits, and investors gathering pitchforks and torches to form an angry mob. We picture our team looking at us like longing puppies being told they no longer have a home.

We create a nightmare scenario that is so bad, so atrocious, that the only way to save us from that horrid outcome is to push ourselves even more, or worse, lay down and simply await our fate.

The reality, however, is far different.

The Nightmare That Never Was

Dreams may not come true, but by that point, neither do nightmares.

When we run out of gas, the world just doesn't stop to wait for us. They fill in the gaps. Our staff steps up in ways we didn't realize because we never gave them the opportunity. Our customers stick with us because they love what we've built, even if we're not around to always build more of it. Our investors, if we're honest with them, work with us to find a better outcome.

If this sounds like a fairy tale, it's not. It's people being people. I've always been kind of shocked to see how much simply stays in place when we stop pretending to hold up the world.

Plan for Burnout

Many years ago, I decided to stop waiting for burnout and start planning for it. For the last 5 years, I've taken December off not to go on crazy vacations, but to deliberately create space for my own burnout. I know it's going to happen, so instead of avoiding it, I plan for it.

The world doesn't crumble. My team fills in, my customers wait for me to return, and my energy levels reset every time. The funny thing is, during that time off, I usually find something else to work on that actually consumes more time and cycles, but the break works every time.

So instead of worrying about running out of gas, plan for it. Put measures in place to deliberately cycle down so that there's time to refill the tank and come back again. No great startup was ever built on an empty tank.

In Case You Missed it

We Get Paid For Finishes, Not Starts As Founders, it's important for us to remember that nothing matters until the end goal is reached.

F*ck Big Announcements — Small Victories Drive Startups If you’re waiting for home runs all day — you’re going to be waiting a long time. That’s not how this game is played. It’s a daily struggle, but in the end, it’s how big victories are won.

All Founders Make Bad Decisions — and That's OK (podcast) Bad decisions are inevitable, so make sure to learn from each one. With that, let's talk about how to use passion to pursue a business, why founder burnout is common, and why identifying your theme is vital before starting a business.