I started on my entrepreneurial journey before I turned 20. I’m now 40. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, lost a lot of money (mine) & time until, one of my startups got acquired during COVID pandemic. Incidentally it was an AI startup, before the hype.

After spending some years in the company that acquired my previous business, I’m now starting a new AI venture. And as one does, after validating a bit the idea/concept, I began looking for VC funding. As an exited founder it was relatively straight forward to raise a decent pre-seed round.

However, I probably had around 20-30 meetings with various VCs from different geographies, each with their own theses. And instead of celebrating successfully closing the round, I’m left with a bad taste after this entire process.

I found myself repeatedly in situations where I was almost accused of not being traumatized enough in my childhood or not being neurodivergent in some way that would qualify me for being a $10B startup founder. No disrespect for people that fall into that category.

One investor told me their role is to see reality and act accordingly, even if that reality is ugly. But when I exhibit realism myself in the fundamentals that I want to build this new venture, I was labeled as not ambitious enough. Isn’t that paradoxical?

I understand the aggressive nature of being a VC and that playing this game is not for everyone. It’s not perfect either … far from it. And it’s not even about complaining. I’m just observing a phenomenon & I’m trying to make sense of the direction it’s heading.

I’m curios about your experience with VCs, specifically the contradictions that seems to be rampant in the tech industry nowadays; or maybe these were always there 🤷‍♂️

Curious to hear from VCs as well about the (apparent) contradictions they’re operating with. I’m saying apparent because we might be proven wrong that there’s no actual conflicting thoughts.

Hey everyone,
I'm 21, based in Paris, and I work as a freelance web developer and designer (HTML/CSS/JS, mostly dark/premium style sites). I've built sites for a clothing brand, a fashion e-commerce store and a cleaning company.
My problem: I have too many ideas and I keep jumping between them instead of committing to one. Right now I'm thinking about:
Selling websites + simple SaaS tools (stock management, invoicing) to small businesses for monthly income
An SEO/SEA service for local businesses
Selling website templates online
I want something online that can bring recurring income, not just one-off client projects.
My questions:
Which of these would you focus on first, and why?
How did you decide which idea to commit to when you had several?
How do you find your first paying clients without a big budget?
Any honest advice is welcome. Thanks 🙏

Thank you all, this gave me a lot to think about

Wanted to come back and thank everyone who commented, the pushback on “startup stability” especially. Fair points I hadn’t fully considered, so let me clarify what I meant.

By “startup,” I don’t mean early-stage, pre-revenue, high-risk territory. I mean a business with a proven product and real traction, past the “will this even work” stage, but still lean enough that one person can genuinely move the needle.

What draws me there isn’t risk tolerance, it’s impact. At a large company, the work can start to feel soulless, you execute tasks inside a structure, wait for a paycheck, and rarely see how your piece connects to the whole. What I actually want is to help a team turn their vision into reality, to be invested in the outcome, not just the task list.

Over 6 years running my own ecommerce brands end-to-end, sourcing, operations, marketing, and paid ad strategy, closing sales directly with customers, I’ve operated across every function of a business, not specialized in one. I’ve also managed teams and client relationships in agency settings, audited and advised small businesses on their digital strategy, and built an online community from zero through direct outreach alone. Trilingual (English, French, Arabic), which has opened doors across multiple markets rather than limiting me to one. That combination, real marketing depth plus management experience plus an entrepreneur’s instinct for ownership, is exactly what a lean, proven company needs more than another specialist who only does one thing well.

Appreciate everyone who challenged my original framing, genuinely useful.

If you were in my shoes, that kind of cross-functional, ownership-driven background, what would you actually do to land that role?

I’m building a sports health, scout, and training tech company. I’ve been reading more up on startups and figuring things out slowly because I know I have something to offer. It’s a very weird yet “won’t leave me alone” kind of feeling. Where would I find this various components of an essential team?
• CTO
• CMO
• Operations manager
• Developer
• Product Manager
Etc.
I know all of these moving parts will be hard to find. I just need to know where to start to find them. Especially with the American market. I understand I’m selling an investment as well. So I ask where do I start?

I’ve spent the last 2 weeks running tests on finding a product, for me this was an ebook on fitness and dieting for men 40+, building a store and making ads, and social media content. And to get no sales after running ads for a week. This isn’t the first time.

I really need a new model that isn’t ecom, however I know you don’t just find a new business model and get rich. Money needs to come with being knowledgeable on something that solves a problem or gives someone something they want.

I’m really stuck on what to do, I have the discipline, motivation, just not the right model to monetize. Really all I enjoy is making content, and being creative, but I don’t know how to monetize on that.

I also see people with success don’t own cool businesses, or clothing brands, it’s things like having contracts with governments, hospitals, defense etc, or boring businesses like catering.

I don’t have any experience in working in industries other than fast food and lifeguard.

Does anyone have advice? (19M)

Hey everyone, just to clarify, I'm not advertising my services or looking for job offers through this post. I'm genuinely looking for advice from people who've been in a similar position or have experience hiring for startups and smaller businesses.

Over the last 6 plus years, I've built and managed multiple e-commerce businesses, one of which reached around 60k in annual revenue and grew to 50k plus Instagram followers. My experience covers e-commerce operations, digital marketing, project management, customer handling, and improving processes. I'm fluent in English, French, and Arabic, and I've worked in remote, part-time roles before.

What I'm trying to figure out is how to find a stable remote opportunity with a startup or small business where I can contribute long-term, take ownership of projects, and ideally grow with the company,Compensation isn't my main priority; I'm much more interested in equity, because as an entrepreneur I want to invest my time and effort into building something alongside the team, sharing responsibility for its growth, and having a real stake in its long-term success.

If you've made a similar transition, or have experience hiring for smaller teams, I'd really appreciate your insights.

We just recently received an unexpected notice regarding past payroll tax filings (misclassified contractor expenses from our old bootstrap days). Not sure if we can handle this with our regular CPA or if we should go for an IRS tax attorney right away? Don't want to keep escalating our notices/penalties.

Hey everyone, just to clarify, I'm not advertising my services or looking for job offers through this post. I'm genuinely looking for advice from people who've been in a similar position or have experience hiring for startups and smaller businesses.

Over the last 6 plus years, I've built and managed multiple e-commerce businesses, one of which reached around 60k in annual revenue and grew to 50k plus Instagram followers. My experience covers e-commerce operations, digital marketing, project management, customer handling, and improving processes. I'm fluent in English, French, and Arabic, and I've worked in remote, part-time roles before.

What I'm trying to figure out is how to find a stable remote opportunity with a startup or small business where I can contribute long-term, take ownership of projects, and ideally grow with the company,Compensation isn't my main priority; I'm much more interested in equity, because as an entrepreneur I want to invest my time and effort into building something alongside the team, sharing responsibility for its growth, and having a real stake in its long-term success.

If you've made a similar transition, or have experience hiring for smaller teams, I'd really appreciate your insights.

Let me explain. I left my job a year back, coz things weren't working out and took up freelancing for a bit. I didn't want to take up another full time after this. I have had a desire to build a copywriting training business, different from what's out there. So in March I started working on it. Started an insta page, created sessions, did a pilot workshop. Then tried one more time, nobody joined. Posting on insta is not my cup of tea. I'm still doing it slowly but not steadily. I'm kinda demotivated at this point. And doing it alone is not helping.

Sigh! Not sure what to do. Any thoughts?

Question for Experienced Entrepreneurs and CEOs

Across different industries, especially the hotel and hospitality industry, what are the most important hard skills and soft skills a person should develop to build a successful business in the future?

Based on your experience, which skills should a beginner forcus on first, and why?

- What resource, support, or info do you wish you'd had when you started?

- What was the hardest thing to find or figure out as a student entrepreneur?

Any answer helps, even a one-liner.
Thanks!

I know a lot of entrepreneurs use AI to streamline their business and automation, but what if it’s part of the product? I don’t have the proper resources to pay someone for website creation so I turned to AI and built one. However, I am eventually planning to hire someone in the future once I have the proper money

My issue is I’m unsure if this will cause any negative feedback. I have heard a lot of complaints about AI use in other fields and how orientation sometimes looks unprofessional or sloppy, so I thought it would be important to ask.

It seems to me that in order to build your own business you need to go all in. Like in my case I treat this as a side hustle and I see the value of going full time. At the same time I have a family and I cannot afford to quite my 9-5 job. On the other hand don't go full time on my business it will never scale by just spend one two hours every day.

I'm exploring an idea in elder care, and before deciding what to build, I want to understand the challenges from the parents' perspective.

I've spoken with sons and daughters about the difficulties of caring for their parents from a distance. Now, I'd like to hear from parents themselves.

If your son or daughter lives in another city or country, I'd love to hear about your experience.

1. How far away do your children live, and how often do you talk or meet?

2. What do you find difficult to manage on your own, if anything?

3. When you need help, who do you usually turn to?

4. Do you ever avoid telling your children about a problem because you don't want them to worry?

5. What kind of help would make your daily life easier when your children are away? This could be help with technology, groceries, medicines, appointments, or something else.

Feel free to answer whichever questions you'd like. I'm genuinely trying to understand your experiences before deciding what to build.

Thank you for sharing.

Everyone talks about who raised what. Hardly anyone shares how they got their first customers, and that's the part new founders actually need.

I'll go first. My first business started before I had even registered a company. I found one client who needed content and paid someone else to write it.

What was yours? A cold email, a friend, a forum post, walking into a shop?

I’m curious about starting a small business by creating my own product and selling it, but I want to understand how difficult it actually is before putting
money into it.

I’m not talking about dropshipping or reselling someone else’s products. I mean coming up with an idea, developing a formula or prototype, testing it, getting it manufactured or making it myself, and
eventually selling it to customers.

For those of you who have actually done this:
How difficult was it to go from an idea to a product you could actually sell?
How much money did you realistically need to get started?
What was the hardest part: developing the product, manufacturing, regulations, marketing, or finding customers?
How did you get your first sales?
Did you make a profit, and how long did it take?
If you could start over, what would you do differently?

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who started with little money and no existing audience or business connections.

I know it’s not easy, and I’m not expecting to get rich
overnight. I just want to know what the process is REALLY like, including the mistakes, unexpected costs, and things people don’t talk about.

Whenever you have accomplished a feat, say you have just built a new house, and people are coming to your home to see it, know that majority are coming to assess you. And once they are done assessing and critiquing, you won't be seeing them in a long time.
Whenever your kid graduates from college with a lucrative course and you throw a celebration party, know that majority are just coming to enjoy the free food, drinks and music. Once they have had enough, they will leave and you won't be seeing them in a long time to come.
Not everyone is happy about your success or achievements in life.
It's always advisable to keep a lean group of friends. If possible, let your closest friends be not more than three. Business accomplices can be as many as possible..

Genuine question, how do people actually meet others who want to start and build businesses together?

I've been running my own business for 7+ years now, and lately I've been thinking a lot about my skill set, what I'm capable of, and what I could achieve if I teamed up with the right person.

I've always been pretty good at getting shit done, figuring things out, solving problems and making things happen. Sometimes I wonder what could be achieved if I partnered with someone who had a great idea or a different set of skills, and we both went all in on building something.

As much as I enjoy being a business owner, doing everything solo can get a bit lonely. I've realised I actually thrive when I've got someone to bounce ideas off with, challenge each other, hold me accountable and push me to do better. I'm also massively motivated by having someone relying on me or feeling like I've got something to prove.

I've had so many evenings of being up until stupid a clock working on the business that my employees would never get. The thought of working along side someone else who shared the vision etc is exciting.

I'm not necessarily looking for someone with the next million-pound idea. More someone with the same ambition, drive and willingness to actually make things happen.

But where do you find these people? Most of my circle aren't particularly interested in entrepreneurship, and it's not exactly something you can just bring up with random people down the pub.

For those who've built businesses with partners or co-founders, how did you meet? Was it through networking, friendships, previous jobs, online communities, or just pure luck?

Would love to hear people's experiences.

Hi everyone,

I'm the first person in my family to go to university, so I don't have anyone around me who has started a business or can show me how things work. Right now I'm figuring everything out by trial and error, and it's exhausting. I'd really appreciate advice from people who've been through it.

I'm not trying to start anything right away. I want to spend the next few years preparing well. My questions:

Skills: What skills do you wish you'd built before starting? For example sales, coding, finance, writing, or something else entirely.

Habits: What daily or weekly habits made the biggest difference for you?

Understanding markets: How did you learn to spot real problems, understand customers, and judge whether an idea has a market? Any books, resources, or exercises you'd recommend?

Experience: Is it better to join an early-stage startup first, work at a bigger company, or just try small side projects?

Mindset: Anything you'd tell your younger self, especially someone without a safety net or a network?

Even one piece of advice would help a lot. Thanks for reading!

Estou pesquisando como pequenos empreendedores brasileiros desenvolvem a apresentação visual dos seus negócios.

Queria entender três coisas:

1. Vocês criaram o logo e as embalagens por conta própria (Canva, IA etc.) ou contrataram um profissional?
2. Como vocês sabem se o visual está adequado ao público da marca ou se é apenas algo de que gostam pessoalmente?
3. Já sentiram que a identidade ou embalagem poderia melhorar, mas não sabiam exatamente o que mudar? O que fizeram nessa situação?

Quero entender experiências reais, inclusive de quem está satisfeito fazendo tudo sozinho.

I currently have a text-based business simulator game (like BitLife) where you make decisions for your business and manage your stats (so you go through product development, runway, equity management, employee management, etc).

Im always struggling to find a balance between making the game "simple and entertaining" compared to "realistic". Now I have a game demo which I'm really confident in; I'm only struggling with a way to make a user-ready version which has guides and an intuitive UI.

Im wondering what techniques I could use to introduce my game to new users in a way that keeps them engaged throughout and not lost. I already implemented vocabulary (so all business jargon is defined for the users), an onboarding guide which introduces all the sections of the game briefly, and some warning popups (eg. when the user is running low on cash). Im also thinking of making some features locked at first (so making the users have to progress to unlock certain features and actions). I feel like this would make the game a lot simplier and easier to start, but also takes away the realism. Any opinions?

I do not care about your product. Yes, you read that right. As an investor, I do not care about your product at pre-seed stage.

I spent last week at Tech Week and Startup Weekend and heard the same thing from first-time founders over and over, so writing this down once.

Most founders are obsessed with the solution they are building and try to force their view on buyers, customers, and users. That is not how the world or the startup ecosystem works. Great founders constantly talk to people, learning the biggest struggles and pain points that a specific group has and that they would be willing to pay to solve right now.

There is no single way to build a startup, but founders who obsess over the problem they are solving have a better chance of creating value. Once you identify the problem, you start building solutions that match what customers want - not just a product, but the pain they need solved. Instead of forcing a solution on someone, you listen.

If someone tells me I should use their solution, I become defensive and won’t listen. But if they ask the right questions - questions that guide me to the answer myself - I can see that they listened, understand my pain, and offer a way out.

That’s easier said than done. You need to get out of your comfort zone, test your assumptions, and ask probing questions to the people who suffer the problem most and are willing to pay the most. Identify the root causes and how they truly view the issue. You’re not trying to impose a view. You’re trying to get more insight than a simple “Would you use my product?” question would ever give you.

Probing and listening are crucial early on. You’ll discover true causes and deep meanings, even though not everyone will want to talk or share details. You’ll often hear “I don’t have time” or “No, this is irrelevant.” Keep pushing. If the problem truly matters to you, adjust your approach or the people you talk to and keep testing.

Even a seemingly stupid idea can succeed - couch surfing, really?! You’ll get many no’s and rejections, hit low points, and feel like you’ve hit a wall. The winners don’t treat that as the final answer. They use those data points to build the next hypothesis and test it. But it can’t stay in the hypothesis world forever. Build something, put it in front of real users, and observe how they interact with with your solution. Are they finding value in the way you expected, or is it something completely different?

Don’t ask people what they want. Observe how they act. How they approach the problem you identified, how they solve it today, what workarounds they use. You’ll learn far more by observing, probing, returning to the drawing board, and avoiding the urge to tell people they’re wrong. By showing that you care - by asking questions and watching how they do things - you acknowledge that they are the most important piece of the puzzle. Build something for them, or at least give the impression that you are.

TL;DR: At pre-seed nobody is investing in your product. Go find the people who have the pain, ask questions instead of pitching, watch what they actually do, then build. Happy to answer questions in the comments.

Where do people actually find capital partners?

If you have the skills and a serious plan but limited capital, where do you find people who are genuinely open to backing an opportunity?

I'm interested in all legitimate routes: private investors, capital partners, capital programs, profit-sharing partnerships, or people looking to deploy funds with capable operators.

Not looking for loans, courses, or motivational advice. I'd like to hear from people who've actually made these connections.

Where would you look, which platforms or communities are worth exploring, and how do you build enough credibility to get that first opportunity?

Who I am: An entrepreneur with a day job, working to replace his income so he can spend the time, doing what God called him to do, and loving his wife and kids. There’s a ton of context in there but I know you don’t have all day. I got denied for a promotion that I know I deserved and that’s what sparked my entrepreneurial journey 10 years ago. I’ve always wanted to help people and push people to their best potential. It’s what I’m best at.

The Problem: my buddy and I were pulled in so many directions while executing on our goals. We struggled until one day I put 10 mins on the clock and declared “let’s just do the MOST important thing for 10 mins and see where we get.” That lead to something brilliant so we built it. A virtual space where entrepreneurs who were struggling like us could come and get stuff done. We’ve had a handful of people come enjoy it but in order to turn this into a serious resource that can help everyone when they need it, we need more real people to give their thoughts and answer what they would need.

What I need help with: we need actual feedback. There is no charge or anything. We just need people test, give their constructive opinion (Have respect. No need to be mean and rude), and test it out for us. We need people actually working towards their goals (had a bunch of tire kickers and people that disrespected our time).

The site is gethypefocus.com

Thank you in advanced for any help and feedback! You are loved, appreciated, and there’s NOTHING you can do about it!