--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Working on a startup is a balancing act…" description: "\"Working on a startup is a balancing act: being crazy enough to believe your idea can take off but not crazy enough to miss the signs when it's clearly ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71a/mike-krieger-18464_balancing-act_working-on-a-startup-is-a-balancing-act_2053938.jpg" --- # Working on a startup is a balancing act: being crazy… ![“Working on a startup is a balancing act: being crazy enough to believe your idea can take off but not crazy enough to miss the signs when it's clearly not going to.” quote by Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71a/mike-krieger-18464_balancing-act_working-on-a-startup-is-a-balancing-act_2053938.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71a/mike-krieger-18464_balancing-act_working-on-a-startup-is-a-balancing-act_2053938.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71a/mike-krieger-18464_balancing-act_working-on-a-startup-is-a-balancing-act_2053938.jpg) > “Working on a startup is a balancing act: being crazy enough to believe your idea can take off but not crazy enough to miss the signs when it's clearly not going to.” [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Entrepreneurship requires daring belief in an idea while staying alert to reality, balancing optimism with caution. **In simple terms:** Balance belief with realistic awareness. Key Takeaway Maintain optimism but monitor market signals. Themes entrepreneurship risk balance innovation Mood motivational cautious Type business psychological When to use this quote - pitch meetings - product testing - fundraising - team building Key Concepts behavioral economics decision theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you know when to pivot? - What signals indicate a idea isn’t viable? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can blind founders to warning signs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balancing/) [Balancing act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balancing-act/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Entrepreneurship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurship/) [Miss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miss/) [Signs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signs/) [Startup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startup/) [Startup Balancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startup-balancing-3883780/) [Working Startup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-startup-3785884/) ## Related quotes > [Working at a startup to make a lot of money was never a thing, and that's why I decided to just finish up school.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-systrom/working-at-a-startup-to-make-a-lot-of-money-was-never-a-thing-and/) [Kevin Systrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-systrom/) > [Stay away from family when you are working on a startup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritesh-agarwal/stay-away-from-family-when-you-are-working-on-a-startup/) [Ritesh Agarwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritesh-agarwal/) > [“Honor is a balancing act and only the heart can strike that balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-emunds/honor-is-a-balancing-act-and-only-the-heart-can-strike-that-balance/) [Stefan Emunds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-emunds/) > [You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/you-ll-get-mixed-up-of-course-as-you-already-know-you-ll-get-mixed-up/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Life is a balancing act. You need to keep your head up and your feet on the ground, while allowing your heart to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-gale/life-is-a-balancing-act-you-need-to-keep-your-head-up-and-your-feet/) [Susan Gale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-gale/) > [Life will only ever continue to be a balancing act, that has less to do with pain, and more to do with beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-will-only-ever-continue-to-be-a-balancing-act-that-has-less-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Having it all' is such an intimidating concept. Just when you think you have all those plates spinning perfectly... something changes. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-allyn-baker/having-it-all-is-such-an-intimidating-concept-just-when-you-think-you/) [Leigh-Allyn Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-allyn-baker/) > [The fact that the same proportionalities rule optimal running, flying and swimming is not a coincidence rather it is an illustration of the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-bejan/the-fact-that-the-same-proportionalities-rule-optimal-running-flying/) [Adrian Bejan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-bejan/) > [Any order is a balancing act of extreme precariousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/any-order-is-a-balancing-act-of-extreme-precariousness/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [“I’ve talked about my belief that balance is a dynamic activity—by which I mean, one that never ends. I’ve spelled out my reasons for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/i-ve-talked-about-my-belief-that-balance-is-a-dynamic-activity-by/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Highsmith’s life and work would always give the appearance of a balancing act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-schenkar/highsmith-s-life-and-work-would-always-give-the-appearance-of-a/) [Joan Schenkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-schenkar/) > [“Meditation is a balancing act between attention and relaxation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-alan-wallace/meditation-is-a-balancing-act-between-attention-and-relaxation/) [B. Alan Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-alan-wallace/) > [Women live in a world where we are forced to consider our safety at every turn. We minimize risk while we maximize activity. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/women-live-in-a-world-where-we-are-forced-to-consider-our-safety-at/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [We're going to sing about things that matter to us. The balancing act is to present these ideas but also make the music exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/we-re-going-to-sing-about-things-that-matter-to-us-the-balancing-act/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [We are all trying to balance our careers and children and give as much of ourselves and our time to them. You work and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-preston/we-are-all-trying-to-balance-our-careers-and-children-and-give-as/) [Kelly Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-preston/) ## More by Mike Krieger > [My dad worked for different companies that made whiskey for a long time, so we were definitely whiskey drinkers. Growing up, my friends would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/my-dad-worked-for-different-companies-that-made-whiskey-for-a-long/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [In high school, one of the things I loved doing was this after-school program where you would teach computer skills to some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/in-high-school-one-of-the-things-i-loved-doing-was-this-after-school/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [I grew up not liking coffee, even though I'm from Brazil. Then I realized when I moved to San Francisco that it's not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/i-grew-up-not-liking-coffee-even-though-i-m-from-brazil-then-i/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [Having a scriptable infrastructure requires upfront work but can pay huge dividends in bringing new engineers onto your infra team, as well as helping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/having-a-scriptable-infrastructure-requires-upfront-work-but-can-pay/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [Hearing 'no' a lot of times usually tells you either you're crazy or you're on the right track, and you don't know which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/hearing-no-a-lot-of-times-usually-tells-you-either-you-re-crazy-or/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [Computer vision and machine learning have really started to take off, but for most people, the whole idea of what is a computer seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/computer-vision-and-machine-learning-have-really-started-to-take-off/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [In 2010, the night before we launched 'Instagram v1', my co-founder Kevin and I bet on how many people would download the app its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/in-2010-the-night-before-we-launched-instagram-v1-my-co-founder-kevin/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [In May of 2010, I joined Kevin Systrom, my co-founder, and we created 'Instagram', a mobile social network that today has over 15 million users.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/in-may-of-2010-i-joined-kevin-systrom-my-co-founder-and-we-created/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [Just because you've Googled something doesn't mean you've learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/just-because-you-ve-googled-something-doesn-t-mean-you-ve-learned/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [With 100 million people, somebody is using your product in some interesting way. If you change it... you're going to break some use cases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/with-100-million-people-somebody-is-using-your-product-in-some/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [I think the biggest challenge over time is that we stay creative and making sure that we continue to launch awesome products that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/i-think-the-biggest-challenge-over-time-is-that-we-stay-creative-and/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [People want to share their photos publicly with lots of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/people-want-to-share-their-photos-publicly-with-lots-of-people/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [People want to share photos with only their friends and loved ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/people-want-to-share-photos-with-only-their-friends-and-loved-ones/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [You have to tailor yourself to everybody. Sometimes people need a firmer hand; some people you can have a laugh with, and they concentrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/you-have-to-tailor-yourself-to-everybody-sometimes-people-need-a/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [You can't start a product simply by building it. You have to know why you're building it, and you might go down the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/you-can-t-start-a-product-simply-by-building-it-you-have-to-know-why/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) [Explore all 34 Mike Krieger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) ## More Balancing quotes > [Balancing is good to isolate the abs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-wagner/balancing-is-good-to-isolate-the-abs/) [Jill Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-wagner/) > [“Distribution of weight is preferable to balancing everything on the head of a pin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psixaristw/distribution-of-weight-is-preferable-to-balancing-everything-on-the/) [Psixaristw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/psixaristw/) > [I think balancing work and family takes constant adjustment. Its not something you can say you've accomplished and move on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-rocha/i-think-balancing-work-and-family-takes-constant-adjustment-its-not/) [Coco Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-rocha/) > [I find that balancing my life with my work with the kids at St. Jude, working on books, working on my career as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/i-find-that-balancing-my-life-with-my-work-with-the-kids-at-st-jude/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [We are all trying to balance our careers and children and give as much of ourselves and our time to them. You work and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-preston/we-are-all-trying-to-balance-our-careers-and-children-and-give-as/) [Kelly Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-preston/) > [Balancing hopes, desires and an appreciating of the possibilities with a clear-eyed assessment of the limitations: that is the art of choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/balancing-hopes-desires-and-an-appreciating-of-the-possibilities-with/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [For every apparent gain, in short, we now observe a balancing danger. This is the world we have created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kingwell/for-every-apparent-gain-in-short-we-now-observe-a-balancing-danger/) [Mark Kingwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kingwell/) > [I'm always balancing how much I can be gone, and how much I can be around for my kids and standard poodles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-freese/i-m-always-balancing-how-much-i-can-be-gone-and-how-much-i-can-be/) [Josh Freese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-freese/) > [I have the luxury of balancing and juggling films in different languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dulquer-salmaan/i-have-the-luxury-of-balancing-and-juggling-films-in-different/) [Dulquer Salmaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dulquer-salmaan/) > [You're always going to feel like you're catching up, and part of that is just balancing work and motherhood and the whole feeling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/you-re-always-going-to-feel-like-you-re-catching-up-and-part-of-that/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [I don't love the phrase 'balancing work and family.' It sets up this idea of scales of justice with work on one side and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-o-donnell/i-don-t-love-the-phrase-balancing-work-and-family-it-sets-up-this/) [Norah O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-o-donnell/) > [We're going to sing about things that matter to us. The balancing act is to present these ideas but also make the music exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/we-re-going-to-sing-about-things-that-matter-to-us-the-balancing-act/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [When it comes to losing weight, balancing your hormones is absolutely crucial. Not only will it help you lose weight by correcting a sluggish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/when-it-comes-to-losing-weight-balancing-your-hormones-is-absolutely/) [Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/) > [“You know that feeling of invincibility you sometimes get, especially when young and testing yourself - well that could be because actually know deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/you-know-that-feeling-of-invincibility-you-sometimes-get-especially/) [Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/) > [I wanted to build a tool for my generation: people 20 to 40 who don't want to spend time balancing a checkbook or checking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-patzer/i-wanted-to-build-a-tool-for-my-generation-people-20-to-40-who-don-t/) [Aaron Patzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-patzer/) [Browse all 110 Balancing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balancing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Working on a startup is a balancing act: being crazy enough to believe your idea can take off but not crazy enough to miss the signs when it's clearly not going to.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mike Krieger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/working-on-a-startup-is-a-balancing-act-being-crazy-enough-to-believe/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Balancing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/working-on-a-startup-is-a-balancing-act-being-crazy-enough-to-believe/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71a/mike-krieger-18464_balancing-act_working-on-a-startup-is-a-balancing-act_2053938.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71a/mike-krieger-18464_balancing-act_working-on-a-startup-is-a-balancing-act_2053938.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71a/mike-krieger-18464_balancing-act_working-on-a-startup-is-a-balancing-act_2053938.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Working on a startup is a balancing act: being crazy enough to believe your idea can take off but not crazy…” — Mike Krieger", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mike Krieger", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Working on a startup is a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/working-on-a-startup-is-a-balancing-act-being-crazy-enough-to-believe/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/working-on-a-startup-is-a-balancing-act-being-crazy-enough-to-believe/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```