---
date: 2017-04-24
modified_at: 2019-05-21
tags: [entrepreneurship, philosophy, productivity]
description: Lessons from working intensively on a startup about the importance of maintaining a broader perspective as a solo entrepreneur, balancing four key areas: learning, creating, networking, and sharing.
---
# The Hawk-view every starting solo entrepreneur needs

I've been awake and working now for the past 40 hours without sleep. The last
few days I’ve completely abandoned my social life to work, because I had an
epiphany and worked, strategized and created a whole new plan for my company. I
have worked at least 12 hours a day for the past 21 days, and with 2
all-night'ers pulled and with about 50% of the nights sleeping less than 5
hours. I've learned a lot about startup business models, programming best
practices and a new language, mind-set development and a lot more.

I think it’s a great achievement. But now I have enough of it.

I am witnessing that it can be very useful to focus yourself on one thing for a
while. Because I stopped drinking and socializing I had way more time for work.
On the other hand, If you work too much on one thing and don’t socialize at all,
you often become inefficient or even entirely stuck.

In the long run, for the optimal growth of a company as a solo-entrepreneur
which I still am, I think it is best to not focus on one area, but keep all
areas in mind, always.

Be like a hawk. The Pareto Principle states that 80% of effect is in 20% of your
work. So focus on doing the most important stuff, always. If you loose the
bigger perspective, you aren't able to spend 20% of your time on something very
important. Or maybe it's just 5% of your time, but don't make it 0%!

The Hawk View means having a bigger perspective, seeing all that needs to be
seen
The coming months I will focus on four areas which all have quite some
importance. I try to have a hawk view and see everything. I think that these
four things are of equal importance for any solo-entrepreneur with a startup,
when he already has a good idea and strategy of which he is confident. These are
the four areas:

 1. Learn: Learn new things
 2. Create: Create a product
 3. Talk: Networking / Relationships building
 4. Share: Valuable content



> The hawk sees it all...


In my case, more specifically this means that I will...

 1. Spend a lot of time reading (scientific) articles, forums, books,
    audiobooks, and watch a lot of videos about stuff I need to master. Also, I
    can attend courses or events where stuff is explained.
    
    
 2. I will make 2 websites, 2 android-apps and 2-iOS apps, finishing the last
    course for my bachelors Artificial Intelligence in the process.
    
    
 3. Spend my breakfasts, lunches and dinners and social time networking with
    important people for my company, either physically or through Skype or even
    email. Also reach out a lot in online communities to get new connections.
    
    
 4. Share lessons I learned on the way through social media and my own website.
    At least, write and share about once a week.
    
    

Why, Jan, Why?
Because I believe that for the biggest success, you need all four.

If you have learned a lot and built an amazing product, you won't get rich
without networking and sharing it. If you just talk and don't produce anything,
you can't sell it. If you just learn, learn and learn, you will ask yourself 10
years later: what did I truly change in this world? Right, only your mind.

If you put it like that, it seems quite logical. But many starting entrepreneurs
sometimes forget one of them. Including me.