Founders… Passion is fuel

Founders...This week’s reminder came from a place I didn’t expect.

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My mom, Marie. Most people know her as Dancing Nana.

She’s 85 years young, and this week I watched her practicing a new dance for the class she teaches at the retirement community where she lives. The steps have slowed over the years. That’s just reality.

But her passion hasn’t slowed one bit.

She still loves dancing. She still loves teaching. She still loves bringing people together and making them smile.

Watching her got me thinking about early-stage founders.

So much of what we talk about in startup land is outcomes. Revenue. Growth. Traction. Fundraising. All important, sure. But none of it holds up for very long if the thing underneath it doesn’t actually light you up.

When you do what you love and love what you do, energy shows up differently.Resilience shows up differently.People around you feel it.

I’ve seen founders with every advantage burn out quickly because they were chasing an outcome instead of a calling. And I’ve seen founders with far fewer resources keep going because they genuinely loved the work, even on the hard days.

Passion isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s fuel.

If you’re building something early, messy, and uncertain right now, this is your reminder to stay close to the part of the work that made you start in the first place. That spark matters more than you think.

From Dancing Nana to you: Keep going. Keep dancing.

Until next time—keep building.

Cheers,

Steve Walsh

Hands On Angel

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