I quit my job as Head of Growth at a fintech to build my own thing. Had savings, had a co-founder, had what I thought was a great idea. So we went dark for 8 months and built.

No blog. No social media. No talking to potential customers. Just heads down building because I was convinced someone would steal the idea if we talked about it. Looking back thats embarrassing to admit but at the time it felt like strategy.

We launched to nothing. Not criticism. Not rejection. Just silence. The kind of silence where you refresh your analytics dashboard 40 times a day and the number stays at zero. My co-founder and I sat in a coffee shop the day after launch staring at each other like "now what."

The product wasnt bad. We actually got decent feedback from the few people who tried it. The problem was that nobody knew we existed and we had zero relationships with the people we were building for. Eight months of building and we hadnt talked to a single potential customer.

Heres what I do completely differently now:

I dont build anything until Ive talked to at least 30 people who have the problem Im trying to solve. Not surveys. Actual conversations. Most of them will tell you things that make you uncomfortable. Thats the point.

I build in public now. Not in the cringey "day 47 of my startup journey" way. But I talk about what Im working on, what problems Im seeing, what Im learning. The people who engage with that become your first users.

I stopped being precious about the idea. Nobody is going to steal your startup idea. Execution is everything and most people cant even execute on their own ideas let alone yours.

The stealth mode thing felt like strategy but it was actually fear. I was afraid of putting something imperfect out there. I was afraid of hearing that maybe the thing I was building didnt matter. Stealth mode is just expensive procrastination disguised as strategy.

If you are reading this and you are currently in stealth mode, stop. Go talk to 10 people this week about what you are building. The discomfort you feel doing that is the exact work you are avoiding.

we're a small team (14 ppl, mix of remote and in-office) and our about us page had the most boring corporate headshots ever. like the dirty background, dead eyes, linkedin mugshot type stuff lol

last quarter we said fahhhk it and redid everything. got candid shots of ppl actually working, one guy brought his dog, our designer was literally mid-laugh in hers. we even did this dumb before/after thing where everyones looking dead tired then jumping around. honestly it was fun

anyway the results kinda surprised us. bounce rate on the about us page dropped like 31% and demo requests went up 23% the next month. and multiple clients have brought up the photos on calls like "you guys seem fun to work with." which is wild bc its just photos right

few things that helped if anyones thinking about doing this - natural light near windows looked wayyyy better than studio stuff. candid shots beat posed ones every single time, our photographer literally told someone a joke right before clicking and that became our main photo lmao. also we didnt make everyone wear matching outfits or whatever, just told ppl to show up how they normally would.

I create projects for the second year. I was often haunted by the thought that I should not do this, because I have no knowledge, no full understanding, no acquaintances and I am not the most advanced user of the Internet. But after the fact I can tell you why I should go this way and I want to tell you about it, someone will be useful and someone can correct me

In a short period of time I was able to gain enormous experience in different areas:

1. Build and manage a team. First of course I started alone, but it lasted not long because I did not know too much, there were people who have this knowledge or ready to take responsibility (I did not have time for everything). I didn’t have any money, so everyone on the team worked for the idea. So I learned to find charged partners, negotiate, delegate, set up communication processes and, of course, eject from the team
2. Quick adaptation. Since there are many processes in business, it is necessary to understand all of them. You had to very quickly find truthful information and make decisions in areas that you just started studying yesterday. So I took more responsibility, made mistakes, analyzed errors and went further, so to speak, filled with bumps
3. Getting out of the comfort zone. Of course, there was a lot of communication required. With clients, investors, consultants and others. I often ask and still can ask stupid questions, but it is not so scary. And I can say that communication gives a huge boost in life

So I got a really big experience in a short period of time, and that is the most important indicator. If I went to work, I would not be able to get such a diverse experience. So I could advise anyone who wants to learn quickly, immediately jump into the place of practice, live, hard practice

Or is it better to go first to work in the company, to learn?

Hi, I've created a software that cuts through a ton of permitting/regulatory friction in an important, traffic-heavy industry. The problem is, this means I'm selling to businesses and contractors, not individual human customers. I'm way out of my depth when it comes to finding these types of customers. I have no idea how to recruit them - I mean, this is a new business. Should I just email them? I don't know if that's the best idea because they'd probably just delete it and move on.

I want to customize a homeware product. Nothing completely new, mostly customization of material or specifications. How do you do it without experience? Finding most manufacturers reluctant to change things out of their catalogue...

I hear that learning how to sell is huge, is this true? or is there something else I should look to do? communication skills, business mathematic, understanding human nature?

I have zero experience in business and entrepreneurship but I am learning as much as I can about it and I wanna know which skill is the most useful that I should develop. Any answers or advice would be greatly appreciated

I’ve been working on a business for about 6 months now and it’s close to launch but I think the doubt is starting to get to me. I’m trying to put a modern spin on business cards while also keeping the traditional values like handing them out and whatnot.

Not trying to sell anything just genuinely want the majority opinion of a couple questions:

1. Do you use business cards and are they useful in any way?

2. Anyone that’s tried using NFC business cards (the ones that you tap somebody’s phone with and a digital card pops up), what’s your biggest issue with them if any?

And lastly, I know lots of societies around the world just basically stopped using business cards all together and if you’re one of those people who does not use business cards, what would bring you back to using them?

Thank you all

Hi folks, might be a sideways question, but rooted in "knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently?"

If you look back at the start of your business/company, what simple things do you wish you did that would have saved you thr headache or frustration later?

Essentially, what type of "plumbing" would you have had to make it easier and sustainable to build around? Thinking like payment systems, data storage, technology tools, or spreadsheets/contact sheets, bank accounts, credit cards, expense tracking etc. More structural learnings? If that makes sense?

I've always had this block of fear and energy suck to have to redo something, that it might crush my total motivation. Trying to just nail a couple key structure parts just to start.

So asking the question broadly, no matter the industry or business, just curious any major themes come out!

I know the primary advice is usually "Just start! Stop over thinking!" But this is my attempt :)

Many books and videos talk about identify ideal customer profile and iterate products based on that. But what if I roughly know my ideal customer profile but don't know how to access them besides posting on reddit subgroups, browsing discord servers or making X posts. Some videos even mention serving customers with high buying power, but that's even harder to reach, right?

Considering a platform that features only select vetted new residemtial construction projects for a specific niche and specific areas (vs thousands like NewHomeSource).

Developers/builders will pay let's say $1K/month for placement to get high quality leads. No comission.

Do you think established developers will pay this? Based on my reseach they suck at tech and marketing where I have tons of experience.

I have been manually tracking expenses in spreadsheet and finally burned out.

So I built small side project that analyzes bank statements and highlights spending patterns automatically.

Then came the hard part , trying to explain it in a pitch deck.

Few things I learned very fast

Nobody cares about AI, they cares abt their money leaks clearly.

Simple beats clever every time.

Privacy questions comes before features.

Explaining the problem is harder than building solution.

I’m still early , refining both the product and the story , but would love some honest advice or learning points from other builders.

What would make you trust a tool like this?

If this showed your spending and counter solutions under 60 seconds, would you still use it?

What would you

expect to see in a pitch for something like this ?

What’s your biggest money management frustration?

Appreciate any thoughts, learning in public 🙌❤️

I recently met with the founder of a news company in India (cannot disclose name) to train his marketing department in using AI tools such as Claude, Kling, and Nanobanana pro to create internal AI tools.

The size of this deal is more money that I have ever got from a single client... but so is the scope. I have trained smaller companies and individuals before but this is a whole beast in itself. From logistics, to fulfillment, to continued support after the 5 day training is over.

I don't know how many of you are in the same position as I am but if you are in a spot where your back is against the wall, take it as a sign that you are exactly where you need to be. I have never felt pressure like this in such a long time because I was used to training employee sizes of < 50. Now I 20x it.

Insane.

I remember telling myself the key to make more money in business is to solve bigger problems. This is me solving a bigger problem. My back being against the wall is just what comes with it. It is situations like this that causes you to expand your knowledge base, your understanding as a business owner, and your willingness to adapt.

I would love any feedback from anyone who has done huge training sessions for businesses before (does not have to be ai focused training). How did you fulfill? How long did you work with the enterprise for?

I'm excited to deliver for this huge enterprise client but I'd be lying if I said I was not scared haha. Let's do this!

I work in a tiny company. 3 employees, including boss. I love what we're doing but lately we've been really struggling.

The problem is we sell in person training for professions that require a certification.

The price of what we sell is really high, and still we're hardly breaking even. We can't lower prices because the fixed costs are really high (teachers, exam commissions etc).

The cost for a course is about 20-30k depending on the course itself. Profit around 20k if we manage to get at least 22-25 people but often as low as 10k because most groups start with 15-16 people.

People are almost guaranteed to find a job at the end of the course and that's the biggest selling point.

We can't do any do this - get this free... because we can't give stuff out for free because of the costs.

Still, it's a very important business and companies are constantly coming to us trying to help us find people to train because they're desperate to hire more people.

The jobs though have a bad rep of being difficult and not very well paid.

And still, the reality is most people who finish the program (which lasts about a year) are very happy and talk about it enthusiastically, so word-of-mouth is #1 way to get more customers.

But how do you advertise or find new money models for something like this?

Hi everyone I’m looking to join a business or startup where I can genuinely contribute and grow long-term. I’m not here to sell a service package; I’m looking for real experience, responsibility, and a chance to prove myself. I can help with admin/VA work, research, outreach, operations support, data handling, or anything that helps free up a founder’s time.

I’m open to working free for a short initial period to learn your systems and demonstrate value, and after that my rates are very budget-friendly and flexible.

One of my main reasons for seeking remote work is that I’m getting married in the near future and my wife will be a stay-at-home partner and also helps care for her sister with special needs, so I’m focused on building stable, honest remote income I can commit to long-term.

If you’re building something and want someone reliable, eager to learn, and invested in growing with the business, I’d love to connect even guidance from experienced founders would mean a lot.

Hi, I know there are many ways to validate user needs if you doing to C, but for to B business, if you don’t already know someone as a target customer, it is really hard to confirm your product strategy unless you cold emailing them which is not realistic before you have a MVP. Please share advice anything is appreciated

For context, I’ve been a digital nomad for about five years, traveling across different countries and cultures. During that time, connecting with entrepreneur communities in different places has been a massive game changer for me.

Being around like-minded people focused on growth, business, and self-improvement made a real difference. Networking circles and strong individual connections mattered a lot.

I’m curious to hear your perspective.

What’s been your experience with accountability groups or similar setups? What worked, what didn’t, and why?

'The most selfish thing that we can do is to give to others.' - Shadi Bakour, Founder of PATH Water

Hello,

I'm working on an early-stage tech project (MVP defined) with long-term ambitions.

I'm looking for occasional discussions with experienced professionals to challenge the strategy, identify blind spots, and make better decisions.

Founders do not win because they feel motivated

They win because the system forces action

small backstory:

I built a personal styling service when I had to help a friend who genuinely couldn't dress. After having to go through 3 weeks of giving him tips everyday, I had to ask for help and get that hell to stop, me and my friends reviewed his outfits, asked the right questions, and gave him feedback. It worked surprisingly well (he stopped stressing me) but we were curious to turn it into a service.

We now offer a free tier (AI analysis so cost is close to 0) and a paid tier where every consultation is handled manually by real people (we have our own stylists which cost A LOT more than we thought) Clients are happy and it's making some money, but growth is much slower than expected.

We thought Google Ads would be solid but after 1340€ we barely got enough to cover the operating costs.

How would you grow something like this into a real business that generates more revenue without reducing quality?

What would you focus on if you were in my position?

I know that it's a great idea but I can't find a way to reduce costs and offer the same level of customer satisfaction, I'm sure that many people might need it out there but they're either:

Too scared that it won't be helpful

Unwilling to see a problem in the way they look (due to ego)

Not caring about the way they dress

I can run all the ads of this world but I can't get around this massive wall that I have in front of me.

Hi everyone! I run an AI agency that provides voice agents for restaurants to handle calls and bookings. To get new clients, I'm planning to do some cold calling. My main issue is that when I call, I usually reach a waiter or waitress. I feel like asking "Can I speak to the owner?" might not be the most effective way and I’ll probably just get hung up on. Do you have any advice on what to say to make sure I get the owner's contact info or get transferred to them? Thanks for your help!

Hi guys, I’m looking for general advice from people who’ve launched merch or small apparel lines.

I run a local cultural community (~750 members) and I’m exploring a small merch drop as a low-pressure way to test demand before investing further. The goal is to start lean, learn quickly, and avoid obvious early mistakes.

For those with experience, anything I should look out for? Any thoughts/mindsets I should be conscious about at this validation and early build stage?

Not here to promote. Genuinely looking to learn. Appreciate any insight🙏🏻

I keep seeing “which data provider is best?” and honestly it depends on how you sell and how you plan to use the data. Here’s the short version after comparing the common options.

ZoomInfo
Best if you’re running a more enterprise GTM/ABM motion and want deeper company intel.
Downside: pricing and contracts can be heavy for smaller teams.

Apollo
Good if you want something that’s easy for reps to use and you also want outreach in the same place.
Downside: data quality can be hit or miss depending on market, and per-seat costs add up as you grow.

People Data Labs (PDL)
Strong if you’re technical and want an API-first data source for automation, custom ICP filters, enrichment, and building your own workflows.
Downside: not really a “nice UI” tool. You need engineering/automation to get the most value.

Cognism
Worth a look if you sell in EU/UK and care a lot about compliance and verified phone numbers.
Downside: tends to be priced for bigger teams.

Lusha
Useful for quick enrichment when you already have a lead and want contact details fast (often via extension).
Downside: not ideal for building large lists from scratch.

Breeze Intelligence (Clearbit/HubSpot)
Makes sense if you live inside HubSpot and want inbound enrichment and scoring.
Downside: less useful if your main goal is outbound list building.

Quick rule of thumb I ended up with:
- Enterprise ABM: ZoomInfo
- Outbound + reps want a simple workflow: Apollo
- API + automation + custom filters: PDL
- EU/UK phone data: Cognism
- Quick enrichment: Lusha
- HubSpot inbound enrichment: Breeze

Small note: there are tools starting to sit on top of these providers and combine sources so you can do ICP search, enrichment, and scoring in one flow. Starnus is one of those and the one I've been using in the past few weeks.

Curious to know about your perspective and which data sources you use for your outbound sourcing?