Gotta Ride It Out / by Alexander Lyadov

There were times when things got tough in our PE/VC investment fund:

  • After getting the money, the founder failed to keep his promises.

  • Losing projects to us, rivals played dirty with criminal ties.

  • We parted ways with our fund CFO, and we still haven't found a replacement.


During those times, my business partner always repeated his signature line:

"Just gotta ride it out."

I found that perspective irritating, but in the end, he was right.

No one threw in the towel. Instead, we rolled up our sleeves and worked round the clock for a while, enduring the sharp discomfort. But sooner or later, the wave of problems always subsided.

A friend who's into surfing also told me that when you fall off the board, don't panic—stay composed. The goal is to stretch your oxygen supply and avoid smashing your head. Eventually, the wave weakens, and it lets go. Then you'll know which way to resurface.

Some problems have this quirk: time beats them. Like engaging in a grapple with an aggressive bodybuilder, endure his push for 2-3 minutes. After that, he slackens, and you can submit him.

In this sense, if you do everything in your power, time is on your side.

Be patient.

Just gotta ride it out.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander


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