Hey fellow entrepreneurs,

As someone working on my second startup, I wanted to share some hard-earned lessons I’ve learned along the way. One of the biggest challenges I see entrepreneurs face is underestimating how much it really takes—financially, mentally, and skill-wise—to get a startup off the ground. I’ve been through the ups and downs, and here’s what I’ve learned that can save you from a lot of frustration and wasted time.

Focus on Learning Growth Marketing and Development Basics

If I could give one piece of advice to every first-time founder, it’s this: build up your growth marketing and basic development knowledge before you dive in.

1. Growth Marketing: Even if you plan to eventually hire an agency, being able to drive traffic and users yourself in the early stages is essential. Not only will it save you money, but it also teaches you the ins and outs of what works and what doesn’t. If you don’t know how to market, it’s easy to get caught up in what agencies or "gurus" tell you. They might claim that running Facebook ads will bring in paying customers overnight—but in my experience, that’s rarely the case. Every market is different, and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.Test it for yourself. Get your hands dirty. Experiment with different channels and see what actually works for your business before you pour money into ads or hire someone else to handle it.
2. Development Knowledge: You don’t need to be a coding expert, but understanding the basics of development and tech architecture is a game-changer. Being able to have informed conversations with your dev team or outsourced agencies can save you a ton of headaches later. Ask questions constantly—whether it’s about the tech stack they’re using, how scalable the architecture is, or if the build aligns with your long-term vision.The goal isn’t to micromanage but to understand enough so you can spot potential issues early. Trust me, it’s way better to ask "dumb" questions up front than to spend thousands fixing avoidable problems later on.

Marketing vs. Product: You Need Both

You’ve probably heard the advice: "Market first, build later." There’s some truth to this, but in my experience, you can’t just rely on great marketing if your product is bad. Marketing can help you acquire users, but if their first experience is poor, you’ll quickly hit a wall.

Yes, you need to figure out how to get users, but don’t forget the importance of delivering a product that keeps them coming back. A bad product with great marketing can only take you so far. Once enough people have negative experiences, it becomes nearly impossible to grow or scale. Focus on building something users actually value before trying to scale your marketing efforts too aggressively.

The Importance of Being a Resilient Founder

Lastly, let’s talk about something that doesn’t get discussed enough: your personal resilience as a founder. The emotional and mental demands of building a startup are immense. You’ll have to handle stress, deal with difficult customers (even when they’re unreasonable), manage employees, and make tough decisions every day.

Your ability to stay calm under pressure and keep moving forward when things go wrong will be just as critical to your success as any marketing tactic or product feature. And just as important—take care of yourself. Burnout is real, and if you’re not at your best, your business will suffer.

Takeaways:

• Learn growth marketing so you can drive early traffic and understand enough to manage agencies effectively.
• Understand the basics of development and tech architecture, so you’re not in the dark about what’s being built and how scalable it is.
• Don’t rely on great marketing alone—your product’s quality will determine whether users stick around.
• Be resilient. Your mental strength and ability to manage stress will play a huge role in your startup’s success.

Would love to hear from others—how do you balance marketing, product development, and managing a team while scaling? What’s worked for you, and what hasn’t?

Looking forward to your thoughts!