Tradeshift: Believing in yourself is the single most important thing

This article is part of our content-partner program and is made in collaboration with DI ITEK. DI ITEK is an organization that aims to provide Danish businesses the best conditions possible to succeed, among other things by offering consultancy concerning staff, international service, productivity and competence development. DI ITEK is part of the European campaign,Watify, which aims to support digital entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs have the opportunity to get the first year of membership of DI ITEK for free.

When handling 30 singular challenges and doubts everyday becomes a state of normality it all comes down to trusting yourself as an entrepreneur. At least that is how Gert Sylvest, CEO of one of the biggest successes in the Danish startup environment, Tradeshift, looks at it. Learn more about how he deals with all his doubts – both in his business and in himself. By Mia Grosen   

“I’ve always known that given the right opportunity I would rather join a big idea than stay with interesting work that ultimately lacked a true personal stake. For me it’s about uniting what you are proficient in with something that has a greater sense of purpose personally”. 

This is how Gert Sylvest describes his motivation to become an entrepreneur. Today he is the CEO of Tradeshift, the world’s fastest growing business network. With more than 500.000 companies in their network and 200+ employees in six cities across the world, Tradeshift, can easily be labelled as a Danish startup success. But how do you keep up in that pace and how do you overcome the countless challenges on your way? Trendsonline.dk has had a chat with Gert Sylvest about being a successful entrepreneur.

Learn to live with a constant feeling of not being in control
Having just started a business you might think that the feeling of not having anything under control will grow smaller along the way to success. That once you have reached your goal of a sustainable business, things will be under control and you will actually be able to plan a week ahead. Think again.

“As you kick it off and things start getting real, and other people get involved, there are ten thousand things to consider that you’ve never considered before. There would be questions around your business plan, target groups, legal matters, housing, hiring, potential customers, lunch, strange technologies you’ve never heard of and to be missing out on the 4^th family birthday in a row,” Gert Sylvest explains.

So in the end it is not about aiming for a work day where everything is under control. It is more about learning to accept that things will never be in control. Not today, not tomorrow and not next year. The way it feels to run your business now is probably more or less how it will stay. Gert Sylvest emphazises:

“If it doesn’t feel that way you should consider if you’re really in a startup”

Have you got what it takes?
Instead of focussing on all the things you cannot control, focus on the one thing you can; yourself. After all it will most likely be here the biggest doubts will appear anyway. Gert Sylvest explains:

I believe the ‘real’ concerns are of a different nature – can I hold up the pace? Do I know enough about this domain? Do I have the leadership skills it takes? Will my family sack me if I work through yet another night?

According to Gert Sylvester living the life of an entrepreneur is in the end more about believing in yourself and your skills within the field, where you are operating. And when doubt comes – because it will come – a strong vision about your concept is vital:

“I’ve had the fortune to work with a vision that I have not doubted since day one – so doubt invariably has manifested itself in questions about execution or personal capacity for doing what is necessary” Gert Sylvest explains and continues:

“To me the main thing is to acknowledge that the vision is the motor. It must be strong enough to fill any gaps between actual product and vaporware, between desired quality and bugs, market fit concerns and motivation. It should have the ability to convey the purpose of the mission in spite of detailed specifics such as the current state of the company, the product, the processes, the organization”

Believing in yourself and a strong vision of your business must therefore be the biggest points to take with us from here. Ultimately asked for an advice to other entrepeneurs out there, Gert Sylvest, says:

“Build something. Get the feedback. Face the horrors and shortfalls. Iterate and improve, both on product, messaging, market fit, quality, organization, strategy and tactics. Get out there!”