What's your biggest challenge as a founder?

The conversation always seems to be focused on either finding co-founders or funding. That's really the surface level problem. Essentially the outcome. What's holding you back as a founder? It'd be awesome to dig deeper than surface.

5 points

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bysyd

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19 hours ago

16 comments

kathir05 ・ 12 hours ago

Distribution. You might have best idea and best product. But if no one knows it, then its nothing.

Getting in front and hands of users and making them use your product is the key challenge.

"Why would user choose your product over existing established competitors?"

  • bysyd ・ 5 hours ago

    Distribution is definitely challenging even for startups that are well funded. Funding or no funding, while the latter may help it doesn't change user adoption rate. So many great products unfortunately don't get a chance because of distribution.

didgetmaster ・ 17 hours ago

If you are trying to bootstrap your startup, then one of your biggest challenges is trying to find co-founders who can/will put as much skin in the game as you do. Everyone wants you to take all the risks while sharing all the rewards.

  • raw_anon_1111 ・ an hour ago

    That’s not true. Most of the time it’s the founder who wants early employees to take all of the risks by paying them much less than their market value with the promise of statistically worthless illiquid “equity”.

    Especially bad when it comes to non technical founders with nothing but an idea, who put “ai” in their names and convinced YC to fund them.

  • hhcoder ・ 7 hours ago

    second that

allinonetools_ ・ 16 hours ago

For me it is not ideas or building, it is staying focused on what actually matters. It is easy to keep adding features instead of solving one real problem well.

mparas ・ 11 hours ago

1. Distribution 2. Splitting time between family, day job, and building the product.

alex_ayoub ・ 5 hours ago

the cold start on sales. getting there when you have no brand, no warm intros, and you're doing pure cold outreach as one person is the grind nobody talks about.

codegeek ・ 4 hours ago

Finding people who take their career/job seriously and actually care. And no, it is not just a money problem.

RedsonNgwira ・ 19 hours ago

funding is the main problem

  • bysyd ・ 18 hours ago

    If funding, is it access or knowledge of what funding exist? Or something else entirely?

    • hhcoder ・ 7 hours ago

      I like tarpit ideas too much apparently

      • bysyd ・ 4 hours ago

        Knowing what ideas to invest in both your time and value to others can be hard. Simple is scalable, complex often creates obstacles. Can you explain what you're building so that anyone can get it. If you have to over explain the value then the idea may be too trepid.

fivedicks ・ 19 hours ago

[dead]

  • bysyd ・ 19 hours ago

    Sounds lovely. I guess you take entrepreneurship seriously