David Loughlan’s Post

23 meetings. It's Sunday. I'm a #founder. And this is when I figure out how to maximize the week ahead. Not Monday AM. Sunday. Because I already have 23 meetings set for this coming week. All but 3 are external. Every one of them is valuable. I don't get time during the workday for deep thought. It happens 6-8 AM. Or at night. Or... Sundays. Tonight I'll also write and schedule for sending several dozen follow up emails to customers, prospects, and potential investors. Because with 23 meetings, there will be 23 meetings preps and 23 follow ups. Each of those things will average 45 minutes in length. Which is 52 hours of work. When founders talk about the #startup grind, this is what they're talking about. It's also why it's so immensely critical that you absolutely love what you do. The people you work with. The people you work for and serve. The problem you've chosen to tackle. Because this week is already going to be 52 hours of work and it hasn't started, yet. I'm very lucky to get to work at Air Traffic Control with Zak Grant Adrian Hannigan and Julia Winn. I couldn't imagine NOT wanting to work this hard surrounded by the customers and investors we have and the opportunity to figure out #relevance at scale.

[12] A few weeks ago, I read a newsletter from David Cummings titled "Software Consulting to Software Product." Link in the comments. It resonated deeply with our journey. Often, people worry too much about finding the perfect idea and overlook the importance of learning all the aspects of building a great business, which takes a lot. If you don't have an idea yet, try the consulting path for a while. We've learned a lot from it. It's probably why I'm confident enough to be here today writing about our new company journey so early. It doesn't guarantee our success, but we are definitely better now than we were in 2018 while founding our first venture. Hectic week with onboardings, new features, working on the pitch deck, and preparing to be out of work next week. So, that's it for today. For those new to the journey: this is post #12 of a series I’m writing while founding a startup still in stealth mode. You can navigate between posts 1-11 using the hashtag #behindthescenesonstealth #nektjourney. Let's work.

Some days, it’s 12 hours. Other days, it's 16. But when you’re dedicating yourself to a product that you believe will have a lasting impact on businesses, it hardly feels like “work.” With my incredible partner, we’ve poured ourselves into every detail of our product. We spend long hours developing, iterating, and pushing to increase its value, while juggling other projects to fuel the journey financially. It’s not easy—but we’ve never been more excited about what we’re creating. What makes it all worthwhile? It’s the process. It’s knowing that what we’re building will make a difference for our customers. It’s spending late nights, surrounded by screens, bouncing ideas off each other, problem-solving, and celebrating small wins. We’re in it for the long haul because we believe we’re building something BIG. And when you love what you do, even the toughest days feel rewarding. Here’s a glimpse into our typical day (and often evening)—this is what passion looks like. 💻🔥 #PassionDriven #ProductDevelopment #StartupLife 

Ever felt like there just aren't enough hours in the day? 🕒 You're not alone. I remember struggling to juggle my startup's needs with my personal life. But then, I discovered some killer time management strategies that changed everything! 🚀 By setting clear priorities and using tools to keep track, I turned chaos into success. Want to know how? It's all about planning, prioritizing, and being smart with your time. And guess what? You can do it too! Join our community at Backers Hub and let's crush those goals together! 💪 #TimeManagement #ProductivityHacks #BackersHub https://backershub.academy

Hot take: I think the most underrated skill of a startup is the ability for the team to outgrind and outwork corporations. The number of investors who don't ask about our work ethic is absolutely mind boggling. Our largest investor thus far in the company came after he emailed us at 6PM on a Saturday out of the blue. He wrote a 2,601 character email with detailed questions and points. We responded at 6:41 with a 3,160 character response because naturally we were working, as we have literally worked every single day since taking our first check in August. Founders taking off weekends is absolutely insane to me. If you want to do anything remotely special in life, sacrifice is absolutely necessary. 9 to 5's are great for employees, not founders with investors. If you want to invest in a company that can promise they won't get outworked, give us a shot. We're smart enough, outwork the night janitors, and we're doing some pretty cool things.

Last week was a whirlwind! We officially welcomed our 50th client to the 26Tech family, which is amazing news 🎉 But, onboarding new clients means a ton of new deadlines and figuring out the best way to work with each one. It's a juggling act that can definitely leave you feeling stressed and swamped. That’s exactly the place I was in last week. Over the long weekend, I had to jot down what can help me manage the stress in the future. 🌷 Changing the location where I work makes a big difference! It resets my brain and lets me hit the next thing with fresh eyes. I love to work in my balcony, surrounded by plants. 🌃 As a founder, I have a lot of strategic tasks. During these surge times, it helps to schedule dedicated, distraction-free time in the evenings or weekends to tackle those tasks. ⛔ The third one is a hard one! I am learning to say "no" to non-essential tasks, especially to myself when I gravitate towards the easy-but-unimportant tasks. Saying no to external requests is also a skill I'm working on – have to figure out a way to do it without burning bridges 😀 What are your favourite techniques for managing a growing workload? Share your insights in the comments. #founderstory #startupstory Like what I write? Follow me to get regular posts in your feed about these topics -> #entrepreneurtips #entrepreneurlife

Wait is it sunday? 🌟 Day 10 Update: 100 Days Startup Challenge 🌟 Sunday Funday indeed! 🎉 While it may have been a break day for many, our team's dedication and passion for our startup shone brightly. Here's a glimpse of how we spent our "day off": 💼 Productivity in Motion! 🚀 Despite it being a weekend, our team didn't miss a beat. Everyone completed their tasks on Saturday, setting the stage for a well-deserved break. But, true to our habit of excellence, we decided to make the most of our time. 🤝 Team Collaboration! 👥 We held not one, not two, but three internal team meetings, coming together to brainstorm, strategize, and align our efforts for the week ahead. Collaboration fuels our success, and these meetings were invaluable in fostering unity and synergy among our team members. 💰 Financial Check-In! 💵 Balancesheet check - an essential task that ensures we're on track with our financial goals and responsibilities. By taking the time to review our financial status, we're able to make informed decisions and plan for the future with confidence. 🔮 Crafting Our Future! 🌟 With our eyes set on the horizon, we dedicated time to work on our future vision. From setting ambitious goals to charting out actionable plans, we're committed to realizing our startup's full potential and making our dreams a reality. As we wrap up another productive day, we're grateful for the opportunity to pursue our passion and build something incredible together. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our journey through the 100 Days Startup Challenge! #Teamwork #Productivity #FutureVision #StartupSuccess 🚀

Do people still do Flashback Fridays? Asking for a reboot, because this one’s worth it. 😊 Flashback to our company offsite earlier this year, where we swapped Zoom screens for real-life connections. There’s something irreplaceable about getting the whole team together in person—it’s like the missing piece of the startup puzzle. We shared ideas, got creative, and, let’s be honest, finally nailed down some of those face-to-face high-fives. 🙌 An offsite isn't just about strategy (though we had plenty of that too); it's about connecting with people beyond Slack pings and project boards. It’s where you build trust, align on goals, and reinforce that company culture we've been crafting remotely. For a startup, those moments are gold—they shape the next steps, fuel collaboration, and remind us why we’re in this grind together. Here’s to the team, the ideas, and the offsite memories that keep us moving forward! 🚀 #FlashbackFriday #StartupLife #TeamBuilding #OffsiteMagic

Many people over 50 are not ready to stop working completely. They have a lot of experience and skills that can still benefit companies. However, finding jobs that suit their needs for part-time or flexible schedules can be hard, especially if they prefer to work from home. Imagine a job board specifically for senior retirees, focusing on remote work opportunities that fit their lifestyle. This is the idea we are exploring this week in Product Launchers Club. You can sign up to read the whole analysis (as well as previous ideas described this month)! Each week we are sending a newsletter with a startup idea analysis, and once a month one of it is being built with #nocode 🔥 So next week I will be hosting a live session to build one of the described products live using Bubble. 🔥 Can't wait! 😊

My fellow #founders can relate to this quote from Cole Bennet: 🌟 "My entire future depends on making sh*t that doesn't exist." 🌟 I am feeling this more than ever this week. 💪 As a founder, the toughest part of building a product, at least in my experience, is getting to the 1st version of the product while knowing the entire vision for the product. It is not the prospect's responsibility to see what the product will look like in a year, 5 years, or even in the next quarter. It's the founder's responsibility to know the vision while selling the current state of value. It's not even the product and engineering team's responsibility at the beginning stages of a startup. It's the founder's responsibility to set the direction, discuss it with the team, and help them execute the short-term while keeping in mind what's to come down the road. It's not the market's place to make people fall in love or at least try your product. It's the founder's responsibility to get people to see and experience the value while also making it easy to see why the product is needed in the market - why this product and why now? When I read this quote from Cole Bennett, it hit home. This week I've been finalizing the next phase of Grapevine: Your Virtual Office Platform with key members of the team. Being 100% #bootstrapped makes these conversations tense or difficult at times. We discuss the estimated timelines, the work involved, and try to predict the costs. It's a tough line as the hours are never enough and the costs never stop. That's okay. That's part of the journey. Although these difficult situations occur, we always come out on the other side better because of them. Why? Because our entire future depends on building sh*t that doesn't exist. 🚀 With that comes sacrifices. 💼 However, we do it because we truly believe we can bring a strong positive impact to the world. To my fellow followers, keep making sh*t that doesn't exist because the world is better because of it. 👏 #MVP #VirtualHQ #FutureofWork