It is one of the most common issues facing innovators. Maybe the voices come from outside, advising you to choose the easier path, or that your idea is stupid. Sometimes, the voices come from within, which can be the scariest of all. Where do you find the strength when your own head is telling you it’s impossible?

We have seen this moment happen many times, across all instances. We sought answers in academic research, consulted professionals, and guided hundreds of entrepreneurs through the most challenging times. We even faced this in ourselves, and sought out support. 

Fortitude, and the strength to keep going, comes from inspiration, and fortunately that is everywhere. Among the mountains of stories we read about the innovators before us, the answer came from the sea. On the adventure of polar explorer Captain Roald Amundsen, and his journey on the Fram, we built a business.

For those unfamiliar, Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer who in the early 1900s became the first man to reach both the South Pole and the North Pole. He had intended to reach the North Pole first, but had to change his direction when he was beaten by Frederick Cooke and Robert Peary. Together with brave men, each specialized in different needs for the boat, they set off on a mission to reach the South Pole first. The journey took 2 years, including a four month dark winter, with a long stop on the island of Madeira. His competitors, other explorers led by the second man to reach the South Pole, British explorer Robert Scott, laughed at him and called it impossible. They had the best tools funded by the Kingdom. The Fram, an aging research vessel, was slandered as “no better at sailing than a stack of hay.”