Before you run, pick your league

On 28 June we held the play2match Annual Party: 128 matchers at a huge sports event with a party at the end. There could have been many more, but we didn't have the logistics to handle them. (Pat on the back, and lesson learned.)

But what stuck in my head that summer isn't the party. It's a question.

Pressure is part of the game

It's my first time doing a startup and it's turning out to be a big challenge. I'm the first to think I can't handle this pressure. But that's normal, it's part of the game 🎢

It's the same feeling I get when, as a basketball player who's pretty much washed up by now, I think the team I'm about to face is way stronger. And what do you do in those cases? Nothing: you take on the challenge and see what comes back.

Which startup game do you want to play

From talking with my partners and with other startups I understood one thing: at some point you have to decide which league you want to play in. Do you want to do B2B, B2C, B2B2C or B2B2C2Z2, pick whatever letter you like? Do you want to bill gazillions of euros? Or do you want something more easygoing that grows steadily over time?

You have to decide, and that's the whole thing. Like in the last seconds of a game, when you have to choose who takes the decisive shot, how, when and why. With play2match we were still figuring it out, but one thing was clear: the mission. Fighting sedentary lifestyles, social isolation and burnout, by promoting physical and mental well-being through sport.