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I loved startups before everything became a startup.

Just a normal day at a startup

Breaking Bad is a co-founder story disguised as a drug-dealing story. It’s a hilariously accurate image of what co-founder challenges look like. Here are the best example scenes and what you can learn from them.

Opportunities unfold as you execute. Not as you whiteboard.

People fall in love with ideas because ideas never fight back. Execution does. It exposes your blind spots, your patience, your habits and your excuses. Most founders learn more from the first week of doing than the first year of imagining.

Sam Altman on how to get your first 100 users

You had momentum once. You felt unstoppable. Then one setback made you pause. Just for a moment. That pause turned into hesitation. Then doubt. Then nothing. Now you’re stuck, wondering what happened. Start moving again. That’s the only way back.

This is a never ending thread of the very best online content and resources for early stage startups. Relevant for both self-funded/bootstrapped and venture backed pre-seed/seed stage companies.

Don’t be the idea guy or gal. Be the execution person. It pays a lot more.

You don’t burn out from working too hard. You burn out from doing work that doesn’t matter, surrounded by people who don’t notice. And pretending you’re okay with it.

At a startup, someone inevitably has to become the Chief Focus Officer.

If you’re working on a pitch deck for your startup this weekend, DM me. I’ll send you my 114 slide pitch deck guide for free.

When you gain momentum, aim to keep it. It can be easily lost. Act like your life depends on it. Momentum is quite a powerful driver.

The long game is less crowded.

Most people have no idea what it actually takes to be a founder. They talk about vision, grit, or passion. Those words are props. What you really sign up for is a life where every decision feels like it costs something real. You will spend years being misunderstood. By your team, your family, even the people you hire to help you. You will fail in public and still need to keep the energy up in private. Every founder lives with the weight of knowing that you can do everything right and still get crushed by luck, timing, or somebody else’s mistake. Founders aren’t braver than anyone else. They just get used to uncertainty, then stop waiting for clarity. Most of your wins won’t feel like wins at all. The first revenue will be too small. The first team will outgrow you or leave. The first product that feels right will barely matter to the market. You will doubt yourself in private, sometimes every week. The founders who last figure out how to keep moving while the ground shifts underneath them. Most outsiders want the founder badge but none of the scars. They want the upside, not the drag. The hardest part is sticking around after every plan gets blown up and you have to rebuild with less optimism and more scar tissue. What makes it work isn’t relentless hustle or some mythical trait. It’s learning to make peace with constant discomfort, and then making decisions anyway. If you need constant reassurance, you’ll give up before the real work begins. If you want everyone to like you, you’ll never make the calls that matter. If you can’t handle months where nothing feels certain, this life will eat you alive. But if you can hold your own in chaos, get better at being wrong, and still want to show up and try again, you just might have a shot at building something that matters. That’s what it actually takes. And nobody cares until you make it work.

Do you run a self-funded *profitable* business? 🤑 Let’s make a list! 👉 Reply with your website :) Any type of business counts.

When a unicorn (billion+ valuation) startup doesn’t have product/market fit, what should we call it?

If you’re working on a pitch deck for your startup this weekend, DM me. I’ll send you my 114 slide pitch deck guide for free.

What SaaS product(s) have a free plan that you absolutely love?

Do you run a self-funded *profitable* business? 🤑 Let’s make a list! 👉 Reply with your website :) Any type of business counts.

Breaking Bad is a co-founder story disguised as a drug-dealing story. It’s a hilariously accurate image of what co-founder challenges look like. Here are the best example scenes and what you can learn from them.

I've got an update... I'm launching a new podcast. Want early access? DM me or reply below with "episode #1".

Startup people... How would you describe product/market fit (PMF) to a friend who has never heard about it before? (Share a quote or link to your favorite explanation if you’d like!)

First-time founders: What’s the #1 challenge you currently have?

Just a normal day at a startup

I loved startups before everything became a startup.

Most people have no idea what it actually takes to be a founder. They talk about vision, grit, or passion. Those words are props. What you really sign up for is a life where every decision feels like it costs something real. You will spend years being misunderstood. By your team, your family, even the people you hire to help you. You will fail in public and still need to keep the energy up in private. Every founder lives with the weight of knowing that you can do everything right and still get crushed by luck, timing, or somebody else’s mistake. Founders aren’t braver than anyone else. They just get used to uncertainty, then stop waiting for clarity. Most of your wins won’t feel like wins at all. The first revenue will be too small. The first team will outgrow you or leave. The first product that feels right will barely matter to the market. You will doubt yourself in private, sometimes every week. The founders who last figure out how to keep moving while the ground shifts underneath them. Most outsiders want the founder badge but none of the scars. They want the upside, not the drag. The hardest part is sticking around after every plan gets blown up and you have to rebuild with less optimism and more scar tissue. What makes it work isn’t relentless hustle or some mythical trait. It’s learning to make peace with constant discomfort, and then making decisions anyway. If you need constant reassurance, you’ll give up before the real work begins. If you want everyone to like you, you’ll never make the calls that matter. If you can’t handle months where nothing feels certain, this life will eat you alive. But if you can hold your own in chaos, get better at being wrong, and still want to show up and try again, you just might have a shot at building something that matters. That’s what it actually takes. And nobody cares until you make it work.

Does the business you work on have a free plan? Please reply with the URL. Let’s make a list. Any size, type, stage or target customer. All fair game.

If you’re a first-time founder, this is what you signed up for. The investor who never replies. The customer who churns without warning. The teammate who quits two weeks before launch. The launch that flops. The week where nothing moves. And the question that creeps in quietly: “Am I even good at this?” Nobody prepares you for that part. They talk about product-market fit, go-to-market, fundraising. But they don’t tell you what happens when all of it stalls at once. And you’re still the one who has to figure it out. Here’s the truth: You’re not building a startup. You’re building the version of you that can survive one. That means making decisions with half the data. Keeping morale up when yours is gone. Holding the line when everything feels shaky. It’s not about being fearless. It’s about showing up when you’re full of doubt. It’s not about having a plan. It’s about moving when the plan falls apart. First-time founder doesn’t mean first-time pressure. It means first-time accountability when it’s all on you. And still you keep going. That’s what makes you real. Not traction. Not funding. Not followers. Just the ability to stay in it. Long enough to become undeniable.