Booting up startup (even the startup needs to be started, it doesn't start by itself) is a constant struggle. Almost every simple and basic sounding action/operation/step causes heavy reaction/resistance by the reality. The reality just doesn't want you to succeed.

I am lucky to run my startup with my own funding, and it causes me to be very responsible with spending.

Finding PMF is the most mysterious thing I have ever encountered. How is it possible to sell anything in this world? People who can sell are the most valuable people in this world.

I guess I have had "burnout" so long, that I cannot anymore feel it. It has now become the feeling of accepting and observing the reality as realistically as it is. "It's just life.", says my friend when reality slaps/hits on face.

Technical problems for technical startups and for everyone else, normal life.

Customer acquistion, individual case of PMF? Mysterious.

Co-founder issues. Hopefully you can resolve things out, because it is the only good way out for the co-founders and therefore for the company. You need to have a real talk.

Runway stress? Time is money (because of expenses), so do things now that leads to making deals (= your product/service + marketing/selling). Do them now. Now. Do it.

Yeah, the struggle and pain is hard. So hard. Let us wish power to for the survival of each other. Good luck, and don't fuck it up (message directed also to myself).

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imvetri a minute ago | parent | next [-]

What is pmf

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Zalar 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

PMF is usually the tricky one. You should focus and talk the people you are trying to sell your product to even before you build anything. Starts with asking and identifying if they even have a problem you are trying to solve, how are they solving it today, is it even important to them … You can get sooooo much info just by talking to you potential customers, users … And, it’s really mind-boggling how few startup founders ever really talk to their customers.

	▲	0xCE0 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		I know what you mean by charting/mapping the problems and their solution. But I think/feel this method doesn't work anymore, it feels like "2012-2022 world". How can one sell something that doesn not exist even by the seller? You are selling just the idea, not the implementation. Of course that could lead deal also, but it's more of people-to-people trust/business, than about real existing products. And now in the "post-AI" reality, trusting anything people sell is hard.

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reconnecting 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

> I guess I have had "burnout" so long, that I cannot anymore feel it.

I've had every possible type of rejection: from banks, financiers, partners, accelerators and developers, over three years of 'booting up startup'. I joke that if I ever have an office one day, I'll print them all out and use them as wallpaper.

And after all I'm still at the very beginning.

I can give only one piece of advice: cold water. 7-10 minutes in the winter sea (<10°C) makes me feel normal. In Finland, probably 3 minutes will be fine. It may sound too obvious for being in survival mode, but any regular physical exercise somehow helps to works under startup pressure.