Real Founder Lessons
The best startup advice from experienced founders...one real-world lesson at a time.
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 . . .
Are you working on the right thing right now?
(at minute 19:48)
Founder Lesson
I left my last startup about two years ago. Ever since then the topic that has most fascinated me is how disruptive companies are launched from the earliest moment that the founder has a special insight...what I call the "idea stage."
In order to focus full-time on this problem, I joined a long-time . . .
Startups are all about testing assumptions quickly
(at minute 4:18)
Founder Lesson
Recently I was meeting with a first-time founder who has been working on his bootstrapped startup for two years. When I asked about his progress, he said that the first version of their app was just released into the app store.
Without going into specifics, this founding team - like most founding teams - has a very . . .
Just put up a landing page and get some press
(at minute 14:23)
Founder Lesson
I was recently talking with an ex-NFL player about his new startup. His startup helps amateur athletes measure their performance and compare with others. He gave me the full pitch and then said, “a big advantage I have (as the founder) is that I’ve been to the ‘promised land,’ so it gives me some credibility.” Of course he . . .
How do you validate a new startup idea?
(at minute 5:30)
Common Founder Issue
One of the biggest struggles I notice with founders is how do they know that they are onto something (in the very early days) that has the potential of being a high-growth business.
Context
At this point in the podcast, this successful founder explains how an offshoot of a product got very early . . .
