Chris Sonjeow – Co-founder of LoveBook
[quote]The only thing I would do differently is increase my speed to market with every product I’ve ever developed. Sometimes we waited too long. We were concerned that we would…
Starting a company is an act of unreasonable optimism. The founders in this section know that firsthand. They’ve built startups across every industry. Some that worked, some that pivoted, and some that taught very expensive lessons. All of it is here.
These interviews cover the full startup arc. The spark of an idea. The terrifying moment you actually commit to it. The scramble for funding, customers, and some version of product-market fit that doesn’t feel like a hallucination. Then the scaling part, which introduces a whole new set of problems nobody warned you about.
What’s useful about these conversations is the range. Solo founders. Co-founder duos. People who raised venture capital and people who think venture capital is a trap. Bootstrap devotees and serial fundraisers. There’s no single right way to build a startup, and reading enough of these interviews makes that abundantly clear.
You’ll find practical insights on lean methodology, customer acquisition, team building, and the art of staying alive long enough to figure out what works. Also the emotional side, because startups are emotional. Anyone who says otherwise is either lying or hasn’t started one yet.
[quote]The only thing I would do differently is increase my speed to market with every product I’ve ever developed. Sometimes we waited too long. We were concerned that we would…
[quote style=”boxed”]My philosophy has three pillars: 1) know the market, 2) know your consumers, and 3) trust your lens.[/quote] Steven Dziedzic is an innovator and adviser in consumer Internet searching….
[quote style=”boxed”]We have a bias toward action, with the caveat to always be testing.[/quote] Jeffrey Vocell is an analytics geek, early tech adopter, and entrepreneur. He is Co-Founder of a…
[quote]I would say stay curious and push yourself to do something new and different. Take risks. Not only about your business, but about other things you’re passionate about and people…
[quote style=”boxed”]Keep learning. Stay curious. Professional development never ends. When you stop exploring new ideas, products and services (or how you deliver them), your business dies.[/quote] Tea (pronounced Tay’ah) Silvestre…
[quote style=”boxed”]If you continuously run small projects and experiments, and look deeply into what was both good and bad about them and learn from their outcomes, you can never truly…
[quote style=”boxed”] The time has come to stop automating outdated ways of doing business, and instead harness new technologies to deliver radically improved customer experiences.[/quote] Bruce Kasanoff is a speaker,…
[quote style=”boxed”]There is nothing more important to a concept’s success than the determination of the team working on it.[/quote] Raised in Los Angeles, California, Zach Suchin worked directly with executive…
[quote style=”boxed”]No matter what happens, it’s important to always stay a little hungry.[/quote] Lior Maimon has spent the past 12 years in entrepreneurship, business development, marketing and management roles. He…
Red is the founder of StartupSeattle, a partnership to connect the startup community in Seattle. He also curates for StartupDigest and has a passion for tech startups, public service and…
[quote style=”boxed”]Knowing what I know now, I’d start earlier and experiment more often. Trust yourself and your ability to figure things out, then jump.[/quote] Brian Ardinger is co-founder of The…
[quote style=”boxed”]I’m a big believer that “everything happens for a reason.” If I had done something differently I might not be exactly where I am right now![/quote] Stacey Ferreira, a…