3 Things Hades II Reminds Us About Building a Company
6-Minute Read Covering the Surprising Similarities Between Playing Hades II and Building My Company
Welcome to A Founder’s Life for Me! I’m Alek, and based on my experiences building companies, I provide practical recommendations on how to build your company and career.
We’re Not So Different, You and I.
Over the past few weeks, I've immersed myself in two seemingly disparate activities: playing the roguelike game Hades II and building my company. Over time, I've realized these two pursuits aren’t so different. In this article, I'll explore three main components that illustrate how playing Hades II is akin to the journey of building a company.
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Before We Get Started
For those unfamiliar with “roguelike games” or Hades II, here’s a quick breakdown of how this type of game is structured:
You start at your home base, “the Crossroads,” in Hades II.
You are trying to achieve a simple goal: defeating Chronos in Hades II.
Obstacles, bad guys, and bosses stand between you and your goal.
If you fail, you restart at your home base and try again.
If you succeed, you restart your home base and try again.
As you learn the mechanics, you can increase the difficulty and try achieving your goal on harder levels.
Ultimately, the game creates a simple, repetitive (and fun) loop for you to follow. Now, with that quick explanation out of the way, let’s talk about the three ways this is similar to building a company.
1. Embrace Failure: It's Inevitable and Necessary
When you first start playing Hades, you're going to fail. A lot. You'll dive into the underworld, full of ambition, only to be sent back to the Crossroads over and over again. This cycle of failure isn't just frustrating—it's integral to the game. Each failure brings new knowledge, unlocks new weapons, and gradually improves your skills.
Building a company is no different. In the early stages, failure is not just likely; it's inevitable. You'll make decisions that don't pan out, launch products that don't resonate, and encounter setbacks that seem insurmountable. The key is to view these failures not as endpoints but as stepping stones. Each failure teaches you something new, brings you closer to understanding your market, and ultimately contributes to your growth as a founder.
When I started selling SolidlyAI, I failed. I failed to get sales calls, and when I did get sales calls, I failed to get a second conversation. With each failure, I learned something, and over time, my success rate increased. Slowly but surely I was more consistently getting that first call. From the first call, I was more consistently getting to a second call. I still haven’t achieved my goal of building a successful company, but I’ve learned from my failures along the way and I feel closer than I’ve ever been.
2. Pay Attention to Signals
Success in Hades hinges on paying attention to your enemies’ signals. Each enemy has specific tells—subtle cues that indicate their next move. By learning these signals, you can anticipate attacks and respond effectively. This attentiveness and adaptability are crucial to progressing further in the game.
In company-building, your “enemies” are market conditions, customer feedback, and competitive actions. Paying attention to these signals is essential. What are your customers saying about your product? What feedback do they provide, directly or indirectly? By honing your ability to listen and react to these signals, you can adapt your strategies, improve your offerings, and better meet the needs of your market. Just as in Hades, ignoring these signals can lead to failure, while attentiveness can guide you to success.
As I’ve built SolidlyAI and shared it with people, I’ve learned to read between the lines. People might say, “This is really cool,” but then not want to share it with their coworkers. I’d ask myself, “Why!? They said it was cool!” I wasn’t picking up on their other signals. They may have hinted at a dynamic with their manager that I didn’t pick up on. They may have alluded to a long security audit process that feels cumbersome to embark on. As I’ve spent more time in these conversations, I’ve learned to pick up on these subtle signals and react to them more effectively, as they happen.
3. Skill Building: Invest Your Time Wisely
In Hades, the only way to build skills and improve is to keep playing. Each run, successful or not, helps you level up your abilities, unlock new weapons, and gain valuable experience. The more you invest your time in the game, the more proficient you become.
Building a company follows the same principle. The only way to develop the necessary skills is through consistent effort and time investment. Whether improving your coding abilities, honing your sales skills, or learning to market your product effectively, the time you invest directly correlates with your growth. Just as Melinoe grows stronger with each attempt, you become a more capable founder with each challenge you tackle.
As I discussed in last week’s article, “No Limits: Identifying and Overcoming Your Limiting Beliefs,” I’ve worked really hard to build confidence in certain skills over my time as a founder. I’ve worked hard to build up my engineering skills. I’m still working to build my product design skills. The learning cycle never ends. My company always has new milestones to achieve, and I need to develop new skills to reach them. That’s one thing I love about being a founder (and Hades II): no artificial limits are placed on you. Just as nothing stops you from defeating Chronos on attempt #1, nothing stops you from building a successful company on day #1 besides your knowledge and skill.
Bonus: It's OK to Kill Time
Building a company can be intense and demanding. It’s easy to get caught up in the grind and feel like every moment must be spent productively. However, taking breaks and allowing yourself some leisure time is crucial. Stepping back to recharge can lead to a fresh perspective and renewed energy.
I’d burn out if I were “all work, all the time.” I have to balance it with a little play. Enter Hades II.
Please Accept These Boons
Hades II has taught me three lessons that carry through to how I've been building my company:
Embrace and accept the inevitability of failure
Pay attention and learn to react to signals
Build skills by investing your time in them
Taking a break from the grind of building my company reminded me of these three things. Sometimes, killing Time is exactly what you need. Your leisure activities can teach you a lot about work. What do yours teach you?
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Thank you for reading! Leave a comment below or email me with any questions or discussion.