Ben Lamm is a successful tech executive. He knows a lot about launching startups. He has started six of them. Over the past two decades, he has built and sold several start-ups. Some of these include Hypergiant, a maker of artificial intelligence products, and Team Chaos, a digital gaming company.
In 2017, he launched Colossal Biosciences, which is a company that aims to create new woolly mammoths using gene-editing techniques. It recently raised a $60 million Series A round of funding. For years, he has been building start-ups. He says that in the past few years, his profession has become over-emphasized in popular media. To avoid being called an entrepreneur, Lamm says that he doesn’t wish to be associated with the profession.
He says that building a start-up usually involves a lot of sacrifices. Aside from being away from his family, he also has to endure a lot of stress due to the various conflicts and disagreements that come with launching a company. He also believes that it takes a person with a combination of dysfunctional traits to succeed as an entrepreneur. These include a passion for his or her business idea and being able to overcome the negative feedback from people around the world.
Lamm says people will often tell him that he shouldn’t start a new company. However, he says that this doesn’t mean that he should give up on his passion for his work. After years of building a work schedule that includes breaks, he has started taking personal vacations to recharge. He also limits his work travel schedule to ensure that he gets enough rest.
During his vacations, Lamm limits himself to two hours of email and Slack every morning. He then completely disconnects for the rest of the day. He also gave up alcohol and caffeine to improve his sleep and productivity. He now says that he gets at least seven hours of sleep a night. He learned that his body needs sleep and energy to function properly. He also believes that he needs to make better decisions when it comes to his work.
Dil Bole Oberoi
