I'm 30, now will you take me seriously?

By Frank Addante

I turned 30 last week (hence the change in my blog title). On my birthday, a number of people said something really interesting to me. They said "people will take you seriously now."

At first, I thought nothing of it. Then, I started thinking about it... What does that mean? Have I not been taken seriously because I was in my twenties? Have I become more serious?

I have been starting companies since I was 19 years old. I guess that gives me over 10 years experience in starting companies. The interesting thing about that is that every time I start a new one, I feel like I am re-learning all over again. No two companies are alike. There is no instruction manual or textbook for the new companies I start. I feel like it is always trial and error until I figure out the right formula. Therefore, does all that experience really matter? As I've been thinking about it, I think it can be more limiting than enabling.

I think what I have gained in experience, I've lost in agility and fearlessness. As I grow older, it is more difficult to move fast. I "think" a lot more before I "do". My experience sometimes helps me avoid making the same mistakes twice, but that requires me to "think" before I jump into the fire. So, I often feel like I'm accomplishing things at the same pace, just taking a more complicated path than I used to. Ten years ago, I made more mistakes, but I moved a lot faster. Today, I make less mistakes but move slower. Moving slower causes me to cover less ground and I'm potentially missing out on discovering new, unforeseen opportunities as a result.

Throughout my first three companies, I just ran as fast as possible... I didn't plan, I just did whatever was top of mind and did it the way my instincts told me too. I didn't have lists, I didn't put together spreadsheets, I didn't have planning meetings. I didn't think about all the things that could go wrong. I focused on all the things that were going right. Interestingly enough, it worked.

Without lists, I forgot the things that weren't important and, therefore, didn't waste time on them. I wasn't so "transactional". Today, I find that when I fall behind on time, many things on my "lists" ultimately get reprioritized away anyway. Without plans, I was a lot more agile and could change on the fly. Without spreadsheets and planning meetings, I was able to trust in my instincts and, right or wrong, I always felt confident in what I was doing. Confidence in execution is so important.

So now that I am 30, does that mean that I need to have more lists, spreadsheets and meetings in order for people to take me seriously? I sure hope not.

Thank you to my friends and colleagues for letting me know that people will take me more seriously now that I am 30.

As a result, I've decided that, in my thirties, I'm going try to behave more like I did when I was in my early twenties. I think it worked better for me. Seriously.

(I just threw away my list.)


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