Everything I wish I knew before becoming a founder
I wrote a list of all the things I learnt by becoming a first-time founder and leaving a role in big tech. It’s more than I had when I started, so I hope it finds you at the right time:
Here we go:
Getting going: Make sure you have a clear reason and those in your life are on same page. It is consuming!
Unfair advantage: Founders aren’t special, they just optimize to what makes them different (becomes important when raising too). It can be as simple as "worked in big company, saw firsthand the XXX problem"
Getting started isn’t easy: Make sure you consider the financial impact if leaving a job to get going Consider 12-18 months of no revenue or funding and if you can manage that
Full-time or nothing: You can’t do both a job and a startup. Investors won’t back part-time conviction
The pitch doc: Forces clarity, the problem, the customer, the market, and why you should solve it
Raising money: Start with belief and momentum. An idea, a plan, and an MVP are enough to find your first backers
Accelerators: Early programs like YC or Techstars can help refine your product and give you fuel to move faster. I have a longer list of Accelerators in case anyone needs it...?
Foundations: Lock down your domain, name, trademarks, and structure early - future you will thank you
Advisors: Find people who open doors and offer perspective, not control, ideally top % in their domain
SaaS reality: You’ll spend more on tools than you expect, it’s part of building
Building: Nothing’s real until users touch it. Ship early, get feedback, iterate. It was extremely painful to hear users complain about our early bugs, but without that, we wouldn't be more reliable now...
Co-founder: Pick someone with complementary skills and shared energy. You’ll need each other
Runway: Track every cost. I have a spreadsheet with every single one, also helps with tax reporting. Burn awareness is survival
Energy: In a startup, you are the momentum. Working Saturday isn’t “working Saturday”, it’s pushing your dream forward
Loved ones: Communicate early. The work will consume you; don’t let it quietly consume them too
Attention: Building is one thing. Getting noticed is harder. You’ll code-switch between product, marketing, finance, and sanity
What if you fail: Most startups do. But you’ll come out sharper, braver, and more ready than ever
Still debate often if the ride is worth it, today it feels like it is :-)
Am I missing anything?
Replies
minimalist phone: creating folders
Regarding Full-time or Nothing – I think it is better to make a smooth transition, because to quit a job for something that doesn't bring you significant revenue to survive is not the best idea. 😅
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@busmark_w_nika Yes I can see that, just my experience - when talking to angels and VCs, they won’t commit until you commit, so bit of a trap. I de risked by making sure financially I could handle months out of work to give myself the best chance, so definitely smooth-ish 😄
minimalist phone: creating folders
@dbul Neat from your side! :D
Cal ID
This hit hard after going through the bullet points!
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@sanskarix Today is a good day, but yesterday... ouch. ;-)
Can’t wait to dive into this, Dan Everthing I wish I knew pieces are gold for aspiring founders Each story adds a piece to the playbook fo the next generation of dreamers and doers Appreciate the transparency.
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@eric_lens Appreciate you taking the time to write this - thank you!
Glad to hear it feels worth it... today!
I think the first point is the most important, especially when starting at a younger age. Being so dedicated to something mentally and time wise often exposes relationships with people that don't get it and often this can drive a wedge if you're not careful!
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@theo_crewe_read The more I talk to long term operators and exit founders, the more I hear the 2nd or 3rd time around the biggest lesson was getting the family on the same page. Great advice, glad I had it early enough for myself as someone who can easily get sucked into work more than life.
NoSho.app
Some great insights, hits home.
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@mark_nosho Thanks sir, appreciate the feedback!
Great post, Dan! Truths that only become clear once you're in it!
One thing I often see early-stage founders wrestle with (and might be worth adding to the list) is whether to build everything in-house from day one, or to work with a skilled product partner who’s been through the cycle and can help accelerate the MVP and validate product-market fit faster.
It’s not always the best move to hire a full dev team too early, depending on the type of product you're building, especially when you're still validating the problem, the value prop, and how to reach your market.
The right partner can bring speed, focus, and fewer distractions during that critical stage. Then, once the fit is clear, you can make a clean transition to an internal team with real-world feedback in hand.
The journey’s hard enough; choosing where to go deep internally and where to leverage external experience can make a real difference. What do you think?
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@ricardojorgecorreia 100%, I had no idea at that stage, and in hindsight realise now how much of a big decision it is - move fast, but collecting debt later - biggest product lesson so far, also reduced product quality needlessly and $s spent. Thankfully now back in shape thanks to Mariana, but great one for the list. Thank you!
Triforce Todos
This is one of the most honest breakdowns of the early founder journey I’ve seen. Too many people only share the highlight reel.
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@abod_rehman Appreciate you sir, lowlight reel definitely on repeat a lot of the time.
One more: quantify needs. In interviews, users will tell you "yeah I need that", for something they would use once a year and never pay for.
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@boukar_sall This comment should be framed. 1000000%.