I think in this high paced digital world, a world where we are constantly bombarded with information, and stories of success it is easy to assume that building an successful business online is something that can rapidly see success when that is not the case.

Regardless of your medium, building a business, one to be proud of is something that takes time, and overnight success is a myth. Sure creating a startup that is ‘scalable’ is the reason many of us are attracted to this exciting new digital frontier, and it is true that a digital tipping point does seem to accelerate a business to tremendous success in a short timeframe – but that always starts with a fantastic base, a fabulous product, a loyal community, and an amazing team….and it may take years to have that ‘base’.

I have had the privilege to interview several of the world’s top entrepreneurs in my role as chapter director and none of them to date have seen overnight success.

Sitting down with Alan Noble (Director of Engineering for Google Australia/New Zealand) and asking him his advice for my audience based on his personal journey through this startup world gave me two key takeaways that I would like to share:

1)   Love what you do!

Because your journey to success even in the startup world will take sometime…pick something that you love.. Do not wear the hat of the ‘opportunist’ looking to make a quick buck, because you will likely build a business that you lose passion for, and failure would likely mean not only upsetting yourself but your investors and possibly the friends and family that supported you along the way. Ask yourself the question…would I be happy dedicating ten years of my life to this project? If the answer is no…think about something else.

2)   Build a fantastic team – there is few people more experienced in talking on this matter taking – Google Australia from a handful of entrepreneurs to over 400, and this was not the first time he had experience in building incredible teams. I think without the support of reliable team members, team members that will in turn push you to ‘do better’ and improve your product, it is hard to propel your business. A team quickly becomes your family in a startup environment.

Sit back and enjoy the journey of Alan Noble!