flinder’s Post

Sebastian Trif, ex-CEO of Aurelia, raised £3M+ only to shut down later after struggling to validate his startup's solution. His refreshing transparency offers a goldmine of tips: 💎 Understand searching for PMF vs executing on PMF 💎 Don't undervalue deep market expertise 💎 Pay yourself a fair salary from the start 💎 Find a mentor to call out your blind spots ...and more invaluable lessons 👇 https://lnkd.in/ewh6SdH4 What's the biggest lesson you've learned on your start-up journey so far? Let me know in the comments! #startupsuccess #startupfailure #startuplessons #startupadvice #foundertips #productmarket #leanstartup __________________________________________________________________________ Hey 👋, we're flinder... 📊 We build and run smart finance functions 🚀 We work with fast-growth tech, SaaS and e-commerce brands 🔮 We focus on delivery insight and meaning, not just numbers 💻 We're tech-first, of course See more from us 🔔 Click the bell on the top right of our profile to be notified of our posts ➕ Make sure you’re following us

This is more of a note to self, but I often find myself encountering these themes whenever I discuss with folks treading the early stage journey of their startups, especially first time founders. Sharing it in case others find value from it 1. Be humble. Learn fast. From wherever you can. Your slope of learning and adaptability is the single biggest factor you have control over that will decide whether you succeed or fail 2. Do not shy away from hardship and suffering. Its a blessing to be able to choose your own suffering. 3. Small differences in decisions can lead to huge differences in outcomes. Strategize for the returns : effort( hours , $$ ) ratio. Sometimes the obvious markets / channels / tactics may not be the optimal one. 4. Do not be married to an idea. Always sell first and build later whenever you can. The only validation is customer $ in your pockets. Not words or $$ raised.

There are tons of startup ecosystems and communities for venture backed companies to bridge investors with entrepreneurs with vendors and partners and markets and such. This ecosystem churns and moves on. There aren’t enough ecosystems for profitable, free cash flowing small businesses to bridge debt capital with vendors with potential customers with buyers and more. This ecosystem would not churn but sustain and root deeper every business cycle. There is Tugboat Institute but that’s for some pretty serious scale, esp. considering CPG metrics with the highest I know there at $50B. There needs to be a way. A place! We need to support each other. Grace Cheng you know anyone else in CPG actually doing this? Kyle Koehler do you? Maybe it’s just us 3? Mollie Cha do you? #kujucoffee #sustainablegrowth

[THE LAG TIME CHALLENGE IN STARTUPS] I kept a journal from 2009 to 2017 tracking the progress, or more commonly the regress, of our startup multifamily billing business, that eventually became a SaaS business. Here's a post 6 months after we launched: One of the most challenging parts of any new venture is enduring financial and emotional "lag time." This is the period that passes before you experience the results of the actions and efforts you've been making. It's the scary time that appears, disappears, and then reappears in the form of doubt, uncertainty, and continual questions. The fact that this business is growing so slowly challenges my faith and belief in myself all the time. It makes me question if this is what I should be doing. We pay close attention to what's creating paying customers and what isn't. It's easy to do now because the overall response is so low. Our number of viable prospects you could count on two hands. But we keep putting in effort. Last week Bobby and I had an "offsite sales meeting." It sounds high falutin' but it was really just us meeting with a prospect at Starbucks for coffee. We agreed that part of our success formula, as best we can determine this week, is that anytime someone responds to our marketing efforts with reasonable interest, we'll travel and meet them in person. We both love selling face-to-face. We think this will accelerate our success. Before we do spend money on travel outside our city, we'll make a list of 2-3 other prospects in the area and set up a visit with them. Any money we spend on travel is money we can't use to pay salaries. We need every paying client we can get. The sooner the better. So, we're beefing up our push to get in front of people. Some takeaways… Startups are scary as hell. You're going to need a lot of savings so that you can survive the long financial runway that you'll have to traverse, to give your new business its best chance of succeeding. The uncertainty of "Are we going to make it?" never seems to go away. It lessens a bit as you scale revenue and can earn a living. Whenever you can meet a person face to face, within your budget, do it. Ganbatte kudasai! #StartupJourney #SaaSStartup #FaceToFaceSelling

Getting stuck at a revenue plateau happens to 83% of startups within 3 years. Three reasons for that: 1. Exhausting its pool of clients 2. Poor Product-Market fit 3. Inefficient pricing + we tackle other factors with my clients. Reply if you want tactics to avoid the 3 above.

I was reading Paul Bassat post on why startups should build a MOAT around their business. Here are 5 ways to build do that 👇 While composing this post - I took a chance to write down how, at MyGigsters, we are building a Moat. ❤️ We are community-backed 🔒 We are deeply integrated with Accounting firms and gig platforms 🧠 We have a proprietary algorithm to identify potential tax deductions for over 55 types of gig profile 💰 No SAAS fees to end customer - Just a simple one-time fee Here are some ways you can build a MOAT 👇 Which strategy will you implement first? Comment below #startup #entrepreneruship #MVP

🎯 on the money post from Cristina Cordova on understanding Equity compensation for joining a startup or new venture. Always think in terms of expected value and probability-weighted returns. And remember, bet on yourself. I'll highlight this paragraph in particular: "If you're coming from a larger company (by employee size, funding round, etc.), you shouldn't expect the smaller startup to beat your cash comp or your overall comp (cash + equity) based on the value of the equity today. For example, I’ve made less in cash + equity comp (at the time it was granted) in every move I’ve made to join a startup. But it was worth it, because the equity value grew far beyond the value from when it was granted. You're betting on the startup being more valuable in four years to make up for that gap." https://lnkd.in/edZeGND9

💡 Startup Founders: Is Your Bookkeeping Ready for Your Next Funding Round? 🚀 At Kruze Consulting, we understand the unique financial challenges of VC-backed startups. Our affordable packages are designed to: + Optimize your burn rate + Prepare you for VC due diligence + Free up your time for what matters most - growing your business! Did you know? For early-stage startups, professional bookkeeping can cost less than $1,000/month. But the real value? Priceless when it comes to securing your next round of funding. ✅ Don't let subpar financials hold you back. Let our experienced team (avg. 10+ years in startup finance) handle the numbers while you focus on innovation. Ready to level up your startup's financial game? Check out our affordable startup bookkeeping prices: https://lnkd.in/dCc_VH2n

💡 Attention founders! Your burn rate speaks volumes to VCs. Are you fluent in that language? 📊 After advising hundreds of startups through billions in funding rounds, I can't stress enough: Optimized financials aren't a luxury—they're a necessity for scaling efficiently. Want to know how much expert bookkeeping actually costs? It might surprise you! See the link in Kruze Consulting's original post for our startup-friendly pricing. Let's get your financials in fighting shape for your next round! 💪 #StartupFinance

📈 Startup founders, your monthly financials are more than just reports—they're your roadmap to success. Leading a team that serves hundreds of startups, I've seen firsthand: Great bookkeeping doesn't just prepare you for VC due diligence—it guides your daily decisions. Want to know how affordable expert financial guidance can be? Find our pricing link in Kruze Consulting's original post. Remember: Today's bookkeeping is tomorrow's acquisition asset! 🎯 #StartupFinance