Your biggest competitor as a founder isn’t another startup. It’s you. The Hider. The Approval Addict. The Comfort Seeker. The Identity Anchor. The Discipline Dodger. The Pressure Plate. The Threat Detector. The Controller. Which are you?

Your biggest competitor as a founder isn’t another startup. It’s you. The Hider. The Approval Addict. The Comfort Seeker. The Identity Anchor. The Discipline Dodger. The Pressure Plate. The Threat Detector. The Controller. Which are you?

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Startups are the hungry wolves—clawing their way up, taking bold swings that shake industries & change lives. Sadly, the American Dream shifted from "build something" to "get hired." Time to change that. Time to climb again 🐺. Which wolf are you? . READ:

You’re not solving a problem until you can say:. [Person] is trying to [do something], but [obstacle] is in the way, so [consequence happens]. Get that right, and everything else gets easier. Full guide here 👉

9️⃣ Word Salad.If your own mom wouldn’t understand it, rewrite it.

8️⃣ Assumptions Without Evidence.“People need this.”.Do they?.Talk to them. Quote them. Prove it.

7️⃣ Internal Band-Aids.“We built a tool to fix our nonprofit’s spreadsheet chaos.”.Cool. Will 10 other orgs pay for it?.

6️⃣ The Me-Only Problem.If it only happened to you, that's an "n" of 1. It's not venture-worthy unless a lot of others struggle with it too. Don't assume that since you do, others do too.

5️⃣ Starting with Your Solution.“We built an app that…”.Nope. Tell me what's broken (the problem isn't "there is no app for X").

4️⃣ Stats Over Stories.“One in five Americans…”.Okay. But what’s the pain? Who's impacted? What’s the moment that breaks them?.Tell human stories; don't just spew just stats.

3️⃣ Fuzzy Language.“Lack of resources” is not a clear problem. “45-minute drive to the nearest grocery store” is.

2️⃣ The Everything Bagel.Healthcare. Inequality. Access. Literacy. All bundled together in one problem statement. Pick one. Solve that first.

1️⃣ Ghost Customers.“People struggle with this.”.Which people? Be specific or be ignored. No customer = no problem.

Most startup ideas fail before they start. Why?.Because the founder can’t clearly explain the problem they’re solving. Here are 9 ways entrepreneurs sabotage their own problem statements 🧵.

Dream big, build smart. @kathleenhale_ almost built the "world's smartest treadmill desk" — heart rate tracking, app sync, the works. She's glad she didn't. Getting Consumer goods features wrong = expensive do-overs. Her playbook for getting it right: .

The geography of ideas is dead. The geography of access still rules everything. The startup system itself is ripe for disruption. Read:

Almost every failed startup has a product. What they don't have is customers. While you're perfecting features, successful founders are perfecting distribution. Stop coding (it’s good enough). Start selling. Here's how:.

Founders:.Stop saying yes to everything. Visibility ≠ traction. Activity ≠ progress. A full calendar ≠ momentum. Every “yes” is a “no” to building. Saying no isn’t rude. It’s the most strategic move you can make. Protect your time. Ruthlessly.

What if we’ve been building startups the wrong way?.2024’s wave of failures says yes. Here’s how to build smarter, not just faster—plus a tool to find your startup’s blind spots.

Many of the #Startups that failed in 2024 should still exist. They weren't BAD businesses. They feel victim to hyper growth expectations & found themselves pursuing unsustainable growth trajectories that ultimately led to their demise. Read: