Where Angels Fear to Tread
Helen Lee
January 1, 2000
For those who might think that it takes as much faith to start an Internet business as to choose to become a Christian, here is the reality: it takes much more. At least that's the conclusion I've come to, ten months after launching SmartBride.com, an online intermediary servicing the fragmented and inefficient wedding industry. Every day, a new objection, unforeseen setback, or seemingly insurmountable challenge threatens our fledgling existence. It's easier to believe in God than to believe in the potential success of my business.
It's fascinating how many analogies there are between Christianity and the Internet startup life. Guy Kawasaki, self-proclaimed "chief evangelist" at Apple Computer turned Internet entrepreneur, probably deserves the credit for first making the verbal connection between the holy and the high tech. But whereas evangelizing for Christianity entails introducing someone to Jesus (who is certainly trustworthy), evangelizing about SmartBride ultimately means introducing people to myself, and I am far from perfect. This would explain why I fail far more than I succeed in convincing others to believe in me. To be sure, I am trained for this: business school taught me that every entrepreneur is surrounded by people who will take every opportunity to tell her why she shouldn't be doing what she's doing. But it is another thing entirely to actually have to face those criticisms, to respond to them with intelligence and grace even if you aren't sure of the answers, and not to take it personally when all the opposition cannot be swayed.
And the opposition seems never-ending. In the past month, I have had no less than twenty meetings relating to our search for capital. Some have lasted four or five hours—draining ...
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