Captain Marvel movie poster featuring Frank Coghlan Jr.
What should the core values of your company be?
As a huge comic buff, this question presented an opportunity to frame Docstoc.com's mission and values within the framework of an epic adventure. Here is the list of the company's core values, thanks to the wisdom and characteristics of popular superheroes – values all entrepreneurs can look to when they need extra strength:
- Superheroes never give up. Like Batman, you have to keep pressing on to the very last breath. Challenges are overcome by wholeheartedly committing to unrelenting persistence.
- Superheroes always get the job done. There are no excuses if you don’t save the girl from the burning house. There are results, not reasons – you either come to the rescue or you don’t. Grey areas are for Kafka, not for comic heroes.
- Superheroes are the best at what they do. Flash is the fastest, and we all know it. If you’re the back-end developer, you are the best in the world, and everyone on your team knows it. Let great talent excel in areas where their powers are most needed.
- Superheroes are crystal clear of their purpose. Captain Marvel may be a cheeseball, but he knows what he stands for. Start-ups die when they are not clear on their mission.
- Superheroes are not flawless. Neither are members of your team. The goal is not perfection, it’s the pursuit of perfection.
- Superheroes do not seek glory, but they get it anyway. Don’t do it because you want the attention. If you do it right, you’ll get it.
- Superheroes help others by solving problems. Start-ups should not be obsessed with themselves, but with how they are going to help other people and solve their issues.
- Superheroes can do it by themselves, but they are more powerful in teams. You always have to have each other’s backs. It’s you versus the world, so bringing together your own team of superheroes – and the mutual respect, loyalty, and camaraderie of that team – is vital.
- Superheroes’ true strength comes from their character. No matter how super you think you are, strength comes from character, not talent. Be courageous, be respectful, be honourable, be selfless.
- Superheroes accomplish huge feats. The same effort it takes to start a lemonade stand or a college club is the same raw effort it takes to change the world. Your goal is not to build a product or get traffic – your goal is to accomplish the most amazing feat imaginable. Make the product, save the world.
Special to The Globe and Mail
Jason Nazar is the co-founder and CEO of Docstoc.com, the premier website for small businesses that provides the best quality and largest selection of documents and resources to help start, grow and manage your professional life.
He is also a member of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only, non-profit organization comprised of the world's most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC promotes entrepreneurship as a solution to unemployment and underemployment and provides entrepreneurs with access to tools, mentorship, and resources that support each stage of a company's development and growth.