The Secret of Overnight Startup Tech Successes

Overnight startup tech successes seem common, but are they really?

If you’re plugged into tech and startup news the way I am, you read new stories every day about some entrepreneur with a grand idea that’s now earning millions in revenue or closing billion-dollar deals. These startup successes seem to skyrocket to popularity almost overnight, rising from obscurity to grandiose heights. And if you’re an entrepreneur, you’ll obviously think about how you might make this happen for yourself. So what’s the secret behind these overnight successes?

The Dream

The story is like something out of a dream. You come up with an idea that people love, you time it right, you bring it to market, and in a matter of months, your popularity explodes—you get tons of customers, earn tons of shares, and eventually get sold to a major company or earn revenue that can keep your business stable indefinitely. When you read news stories about major deals, this is how it seems to happen.

The Reality

What these news stories don’t tell you is that the path to success isn’t nearly so linear or so neat. Instead, it’s a meandering, complicated path, wrought with hardship, failure, and transformation. You don’t hear about the entrepreneur’s previous startups that failed. You don’t hear about how their idea had to be changed a dozen times to get to its current form. You don’t hear about the months of uncertainty and fear as they tried to build an initial client base.

The reality is, “overnight” successes only seem that way. Every entrepreneur experiences failure, hardships, and challenges—and those are what give you the tools and the motivation to take a company to the next level.

What You Should Take Away

If you’re thinking about starting a business, remember that the dream of the overnight success is just that—a dream. There’s no shortcut to wealth or success in the entrepreneurial world. And if you’re already in the thick of developing and growing your business, take comfort in the fact that every entrepreneur goes through struggles—as long as you stay adaptive, it’s a sign you’re headed in the right direction.

About the Author

Jose Vasquez is a serial entrepreneur and tech specialist dedicated to helping startup tech companies grow and succeed. As the founder of Build. Brand. Blast., Jose has worked with dozens of enterprises to find direction, gain momentum, and achieve results.