Startup Lessons Learned

I feel that this time around, as an early-stage startup founder, I recognize distractions much faster. 

Ten years ago, when I cofounded a SaaS in NYC, I was super excited and gung-ho. I didn't really know what was realistic. There were too many possibilities. Looking back, I was focusing on the wrong things (you live and you learn).

Some Early Stage Founder Distractions I experienced:

• Shiny objects syndrome 

• Over-engineering features and feedbacks

• Not focusing on our strengths

• Overworking, and not prioritizing my health

There are a lot of distractions you feel "Oh, there's maybe that a great opportunity if we just move forward". 

10 years ago:

In my first time around, it was like "hey, maybe we could get in front of this VC or get in front of this journalist by making a splash. If we can just impress them, then wow! You never know! They will invite us to their podcast and promote us to their newsletter, and we'll get tremendous traffic! Why not?" 🤞

Today:

This time, those side quests are distractions from trying to figure out sales, writing content, and building product. 

10 years ago:

Product distractions are from receiving feedback ‘noises’ from foot-dragging customers: "Oh, I would use this if you guys had this or if you guys had that." 

The first time around, you feel like "Hey, there's this opportunity here. We can just go after that tier of customers, and if we do well, they might unlock a new area of customers we can sell to!". 😅

Today:

This time around, I know that some of this is one-off feedback. If I don't hear it consistently, it's not something I believe we should prioritize. 

10 years ago:

Marketing distractions include "Should we try XYZ marketing channel? Because I know that these startups before have won and got customers that way."  🤔

Today:

This time around, having more clarity on our strength is key. What are our own capabilities, and not going into unknown areas where we have to learn a lot and we have to experiment. Stick with what we know and stick with our strength and amplify it. 

10 years ago:

Last time, it was "Hey, if we can create more features, it would be so cool." 😎

Today:

This time, it's really about simplicity and reducing the complexity of what we are selling. The more features we have, the more anxious and complicated it is for our customers. We recognize they want to know that our tool can do one or two things really, really well. And we want to be known for that. 

10 years ago:

The last time it was just trying to be perfect before we ‘launch’ in front of customers.

Today:

Our product is not ready, but we have* to go out there and learn and get feedback early. 

10 years ago:

My first time starting, I was not taking care of my health. I was drinking, staying up late, and did not have a good routine. It was a lesson learned — that it is a mental marathon, not a sprint.

Today:

This time, I'm very cognizant about my health - my physical health and my mental health. I try to achieve more peace and reduce the noise and anxiety through meditation, going to the gym, eating healthier, and just turn it off. Dedicate time to spend with my family and my partner. 

Read more about my startup journey so far:

• Doing PLG again!

• 5 paying customers

• My first SaaS 10 years ago

• Focus with OKRs

• Finding your Next Next job

I am Gary Yau Chan. 3x Head of Growth. Product Growth specialist. 26x hackathon winner. I write about #PLG and #BuildInPublic. Please follow me on LinkedIn, or read about what you can hire me for on my Notion page.