Milly Tamati’s Post

🤦🏻♂️One of my biggest F&#k ups as a first time software founder was spending up early on a team. I received a seed round of funding and my co-founder and I thought we needed the best to build our MVP. He was in fact very good at building everything but some things became evident: ➡️ We were building too slow. ➡️ We were focused on a perfect product. ➡️ Was hard to gen revenue without product. ➡️ Our runway was burning up fast. We soon had to let him go and figure out a pivot. We were running out of money and the product wasn’t done. I really Schruted it. Fast forward to my next product. ➡️ Using global talent. Fast. Cheap. Badass. ➡️ Using fractional talent when needed. ➡️ Built a quick MVP to drive early revenue. ➡️ Iterrated quickly based on feedback. We had a much better outcome the next time and managed our capital way smarter. 🧠 There are tons of ways to build a startup, but there is one universal truth- ➡️ Protecting runway is EVERYTHING. I highly reccomend being strategic deploying capital on talent. Fractional and global talent will get you the same result at a fraction of the cost. Get more Shit done with less. ❓Ever wonder about talent from #brazil? ❓ Hit me up. I got all the answers you need. #founders #startups #recruiting

I've raised, attended Techstars, experienced the boom and bust of unicorns. Here’s what we are doing differently this time as we build to our first $1M ARR. 🛠 Services: We’re offering RevOps Services to solve the problems that we are building software for. Contract services will act as our “pre-seed” and customer discovery. 💸 Bootstrapping to $1M ARR: You can design, code, host and ship SaaS applications for practically nothing today. Building is no longer the expensive part. Raising a round starts the “clock”, which may prevent you from raising the next round if you raise too early. 🎭 Avoiding StartUp Theatre: The only thing that matters is building solutions for our customers. And earning the right to sign the renewal. We’re laser focused on turning revops pro’s into superheroes. Nothing else. 💪 Lean and Mean: AI solutions supercharges so many roles today. The new age of SaaS companies are going to be leaner than ever. We’ll hire, when we need to and not a moment earlier. ✅ Retention focused: You can buy growth. You can’t buy renewals. You have to earn it by solving a real problem. Growth before renewals is a sure fire way to be dependent on VC funding to survive. ie Bridge rounds to nowhere. Increasing the chance of liquidation preferences wiping out returns for the operating team. 📈 Only Raising for Growth not R&D: Not every saas company can reach VC level outcomes. Raising too early means we limit our exit outcomes. If VC funding is right for our growth targets, we’ll raise. If not, we’ll build a multi million $ ARR SaaS company on our schedule that we own entirely. Need badass revop services? Send me a DM. It'll be the best decision you've made this quarter. I'll be posting about revops and startups as we build. Follow along if you're interested!

🚀 At Stripe, we are building more than just financial infrastructure; we are facilitating growth, partnering with determined founders whose visions transcend boundaries. In this spirit, supporting the inaugural event of Moroccans in Tech—a dynamic collective of entrepreneurs, operators and investors intertwined with the vibrant tapestry of the French tech ecosystem—was a natural fit. On a personal note, moderating a segment of their panel was an opportunity I seized with genuine enthusiasm and a keen sense of privilege. 💡 The evening was an insightful journey through the success paradigms of ambitious immigrant founders. Panelists Othmane Bouhlal and Omar Benmoussa of Chauffeur Privé/Kapten/FREENOW (exited to Daimler 🇩🇪), Mohamed Tazi of Gymlib (exited to eGym 🇩🇪), Amine Mezzour of Lalilo by Renaissance (exited to Renaissance 🇺🇸), and Driss Ibenmansour of Motto, shared raw insights on navigating the entrepreneurship maze. Their stories took us through the rollercoaster of taking risks, the motivational forces at play, and the intricacies of timing a business launch with one’s career path. 🔄 Freedom was a recurring theme—a notional twist, not about the absence of reporting lines, but the liberty to make meaningful choices. The candid dialogue traversed the harrowing decisions and sacrifices, such as opportunity costs and the pursuit of an entrepreneurial vision. We heard firsthand accounts of navigating turbulent times—an investor’s unforeseen exit, a global health crisis testing the foundations of a business transaction, or logistical nightmares disrupting the flow of operations. Reflecting on their experiences, the speakers shared advice from hindsight and actions they would change if they embarked on the journey again. For example, one said they would target a larger market and focus more on the go-to-market strategy from the get-go! 🎉 As we transitioned from thought-provoking dialogue to networking, the room buzzed with energy from students, aspiring entrepreneurs, startup veterans, and savvy investors alike. A massive shout-out to Mehdi Benjelloun, Sofia DAHOUNE, Maria Tahri, and Kenza Boughaleb for orchestrating such a top-tier event. Seeing the resolve and excitement of so many present and future founders strengthens our dedication to backing their dreams, enhancing their visions, and aiding their global impact. Here's to scaling new heights together!

We built our startup from zero to (almost) $1M in ARR in 90 days...here is the secret. Don't listen to that voice in your head telling you that you can't. Today I was having a conversation with someone who said "how did you guys do that" He had all kinds of questions. And rightfully so. But the truth is, it is SOO much easier than you think. We found a great big ol' need in the market. A problem that was so glaring, it almost slapped us in the face. We developed a solution to that problem that is so simple, anyone could have thought of it. (here is the secret sauce) We found a way to communicate what we were planning on doing to a team of absolute rockstars, and for some crazy reason they joined us. We worked harder than we every thought we could, doubting it would ever work the whole way. We committed to posting on this platform daily, and have done so for many months. We ignored the voices in our heads telling us we weren't worthy, capable, or ready. Here we are. Now with that said, we are a long way from anything with real staying power, and honestly the hard work is just now starting. But the secret...put your head down, do the work, and don't listen to the haters. You are capable of SO MUCH MORE than you give yourself credit for. If it's time to do it, just freakin do it. Then do it again, and outwork literally everyone else until you are getting to where you want to be. The journey is just beginning for Revenue Rocket, but in 90 days we've accomplished more than we thought we would in a year. You can surprise yourself too if you will just show up and do the work.

Day 93/365 of Building Our SaaS: The Funding Adventure Awaits As we cruise smoothly through our software development journey, I’m reminded of one critical ingredient for startup success: a strong, cohesive team. From my experience, I’ve learned that it's crucial to really get to know potential co-founders or angel investors before diving in together. Trust and understanding are built over time, and jumping in too soon can be risky. The startup landscape has evolved. Long gone are the days when people were content with equity stakes alone. Today, in a world where stability is elusive, especially in startups, the demand for a reliable monthly salary is completely understandable. We're in this together, navigating the uncertainties and celebrating the milestones. Onward and upward!

Many founders ask me what VCs (and we at 10x Founders) look for in founding teams - particularly in today's times when funding for startups isn't as available as is was in the 2020 to early 2022 period. Real pleasure to chat (in 🇩🇪 only, unfortunately) with Domenico about how the 2023 funding market looked like, and what 2024 may bring (thanks for the early-stage startup perspective Benedikt and Ivan). [link in comments] My key three predictions: 1) We haven't seen the bottom of the valley yet. We will see further waves of layoffs of particularly growth stage companies to lengthen runway until the next round needs to be raised, and the overall investment climate remains challenging. Of course, no trend without exceptions, but founders should remain incredibly focused on managing cash positions, and painting a clear picture of a path to profitability. 2) Even with significant cost cutting measures, companies will need to raise further bridge rounds to meet the higher expectations of follow-on investors in terms of top-line development and underlying metrics. Existing investors of those companies will need to step in (once again) - while providing great opportunities for outside investors to back startups with strong fundamentals at a more reasonable price point that we've seen over the last years. 3) In times of lagging revenue development and growth, founders and the equity stories they tell will gain significant importance. Investors will continue to focus on strong teams that can steer companies and its employees even through the most uncertain times. Most importantly though, I remain incredibly bullish on European tech in the long-term - it's a great time to build generational businesses with strong and sustainable fundamentals, and it's a pleasure and privilege to be part of this ecosystem these days.

🏢 *A Space for Growing Founders* After several insightful visits, I truly understand the unique challenges and aspirations of today's founders. At GIT, we’re not just building floors—we’re creating an environment that fuels growth and ambition. 🌟 A Different Approach : When I walk through these spaces, they don’t just feel like floors—they represent *achievement* and the drive to do more. Every floor is designed to inspire growth and empower founders to dream bigger. 👥 *Perfect for Startups & Mid-Sized Teams*: If you're a founder with a team of 80-100 , GIT feels like home. It fits perfectly, offering the right space for your team to collaborate, innovate, and grow. We are intentionally targeting this niche because we understand the journey of building something impactful. 🏆 **Founders in Focus*: While large enterprises are certainly part of our portfolio, we’re focused on supporting founders in their *30s to 50s*, the ones driving forward innovation and fresh ideas. Our project is tailored to meet their unique needs—flexible, inspiring, and empowering. If you're a founder or know someone who is, let’s connect and discuss how GIT can be the perfect home for your next phase of growth. Gaurav Waghmare #Founders #StartupLife #WorkplaceDesign #MidSizedTeams #OfficeSpaces #InnovationSpaces #BusinessGrowth

Looks bad, huh? Maybe. Or maybe you need to let it break. This week a venture in my portfolio finished a two quarter push on two new pricing models. Neither met expectations. This Tuesday they’re cut. Permanently. And here’s what we gained from this last thread breaking. Our prospects are more recession resilient than we thought. They don’t want new pricing. They don’t even want more features. They did all tell us that they all want us to rapidly expand our integration library. Fast. And we know that our higher revenue customers and new prospects will pay a premium for us to get that into market. Things break. The center doesn’t hold. Entropy. For SaaS startups and scale-ups, failures are relatively cheap and almost always afford new learnings. If you’re startup has some dangling threads, take heart. You can learn from these pending failures. You can then rapidly action new choices to meet the market head on. ♻️ Because it’ll help. 🎮 Message me to book an appointment to kick over your immediate perils. 📍 Visit my site to learn how I impact tech ventures fast, and grow shareholder value: https://lnkd.in/gbUu2iph

“Should we raise?” “Where can I find a co-founder?” “Should we be in SF?” When I hear these, a small alarm goes off in my brain. The questions are not bad, but for a split second I see my younger self in the face of the founder asking, and I remember exactly the kind of stress and anxiety behind them. The need to get everything "right." And what is this "right," when you launch a startup? A few years ago, I would've launched into a passionate spiel about the Do's and Don'ts of starting a startup. I would have rattled off a list of books to read, metrics to hit, how to get into YC, maybe spoken of the best VCs to court. When you start a business, you tend to overthink every detail. How many founders should we be? Where do we need to be based to maximize our chances? Berlin? SF? Taiwan? Remote or in office? Should we raise? Which investor do I need? Which tech stack? Most of that careful planning goes out the window the moment you actually start building, and most of it you're not fully in control of. I tried to move to San Francisco, but Covid and 3 kids caught me 😅 I spent my first two companies struggling with finding co-founders, often instead of just doing what needed to be done. The reality is, making a startup work is a minor miracle. It takes timing, luck, perseverance, and a whole lot of factors you can't control or predict. I love this quote from Scott Chacon, the founder of GitHub on why they won over Bitbucket, GitLab, and others (read the full article!). Their winning parameters were maybe not the ones analysts would read. In the end, the biggest successes always occur despite many wrong choices or seemingly wrong choices at the time. To all founders redoing their roadmap after reading Twitter threads: take a breath. Focus on delivering the best to your users. Focus on your product, on your team. The rest? It's mostly noise. And to my younger self: You’re overthinking it so much, you idiot.

The hustle is real As a founder, you're pulled in 100 directions. Fundraising, hiring, product-market fit , challenges , etc. But don't lose sight of the essentials. Here's what your early stage startup needs: 1. Concentrate on a single core problem and provide one solid solution 2. Resist doing 10 things poorly. This confuses clients and investors.  3. Become excellent at 1 thing first. Then layer on more offers.  4. Once you've nailed product-market fit, expand offerings.  5. Clarity is essential early on. Stick to your core mission. But at the start, do less better Hope this gives you a boost today ❤️ (Repost if you like it ♻️) P.S. Maybe something i missed? Do tell.