Real Founder Lessons

The best startup advice from experienced founders...one real-world lesson at a time.

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It takes 3 years to know what you have

(at minute 2:24)

Founder Lesson
I'm talking weekly with a very good founder who's working on a startup to disrupt hiring. He checks all the boxes. He loves the problem...check. He's a visionary...check. He's smart with a strong work ethic...check. He has very relevant experience...check. He has a proven track record of building . . .

Posted in: advisors all business model validation counterintuitive things execution hustle joelle steiniger matt goldman michael sacca mvp persistency pivot podcast process product market fit purpose resiliency rocketship.fm solving a problem time timing unique playbook

Creativity loves constraint

(at minute 19:11)

Founder Lesson
I don't know where I first heard this notion, but on a monthly basis I think about the counterintuitive concept that creativity loves constraint.

On a personal level I'm a moderate procrastinator for most things. Over the years I've found that forcing myself to get 50% of the work done in a tight . . .

Posted in: all business model validation counterintuitive things customer discovery delusion execution focus lean startup micromanagement mvp my favorites niche products pivot podcast process product product market fit psychological friction resiliency sidenote solving a problem unique playbook value proposition

Permission to say "it's not working"

(at minute 0:22)

Founder Lesson
I've been a casual advisor to a well-known B2C brand/founder in Atlanta for a few years now. When I met him in 2014 I was super impressed by his love of the problem and his ability to walk through walls. And I wasn't the only one...he's been able to raise capital from some great investors across the country.

. . .

Posted in: all business model validation counterintuitive things first principles focus focus groups mvp niche products pivot process product market fit psychological friction resiliency solving a problem traction unique playbook video ycombinator

Product-market fit isn’t rational

(at minute 15:43)

Founder Lesson
There isn't a topic that interests me more than product-market fit. In the 2007 - 2010 timeframe I went from a lifestyle business (where I could fool myself that it was high-growth) to a high-growth startup (where you didn't have to wonder if it had product-market fit) and that transition completely changed the way . . .

Posted in: 33voices all bootstrapping business model validation counterintuitive things delusion engagement execution focus founders mvp my favorites persistency pivot podcast process product product market fit psychological friction purpose resiliency sidenote solving a problem traction unique playbook ycombinator

Raising money takes 6-9 months

(at minute 2:44)

Founder Lesson
Last week I was talking with a founder who was getting ready to raise money for the first time. During the course of our conversation it occurred to me that he's thinking the thoughts that all founders think before fundraising for the first time...

"Investors are going to meet me and hear my idea and in . . .

Posted in: all counterintuitive things delusion financing focus persistency podcast process psychological friction raising capital this week in startups vc video

It's all about love (not likes)

(listen to the whole thing)

Founder Lesson
There's only been two times that I've referenced a podcast in one of my blog posts, but not referenced an exact moment for the reader to listen to hear the lesson. First there was this one and today I'm going to do it again. In both instances the podcast has so many good lessons throughout that I would encourage . . .

Posted in: all business model validation counterintuitive things engagement execution first principles focus growth hustle lean startup listen to entire podcast masters of scale mvp my favorites niche products podcast process product product market fit psychological friction sam altman super fans ycombinator

Share your idea with lots of people

(at minute 15:43)

Founder Lesson
A few weeks ago a first-time founder emailed me to meet-up. One of my favorite things is meeting new founders, so I'm always excited to get emails like that. However my enthusiasm quickly declined when I read this at the end of his email...

"Please see the attached mutual NDA and let me know if you have . . .

Posted in: all business model validation counterintuitive things customer discovery execution first principles focus focus groups founders how i built this hustle mvp pattern matching podcast process product market fit solving a problem unique playbook

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