There is a version of entrepreneurship that looks perfect from the outside. Clean fundraise. Clear narrative. Obvious traction. Fast growth.
Real life rarely looks like that.
During Y Combinator S25, we were not the standout company in the batch. There were founders who raised seed and Series A back to back. A solo founder raised six million dollars. Another team raised eleven million building an incredible GovTech product. When the batch ended, I felt intimidated. And honestly, frustrated.
Not because we did not work hard. But because comparison is unavoidable when you are surrounded by people doing exceptionally well.
The pressure during YC is intense. What surprised me was how heavy the period after felt. Once Demo Day passes and the numbers settle, it is easy to feel like you missed something or did not play the game right.
With some distance now, I see things more clearly.
What a Seed Round Is Actually For
The point of a seed round is not to win a batch or impress other founders. It is to buy time.
- Time to survive.
- Time to focus.
- Time to sharpen the product until it actually shines and lifts off in the market.
There is no perfect trajectory in business. There is only enough runway to keep going long enough for something real to emerge.
If you are early and things feel messy, that does not mean you are failing. It often means you are still learning what matters.
Firing Customers Is Part of the Job
One thing I wish we realized earlier is that firing customers is necessary.
Most founders start by talking to everyone. You begin with a big, exciting problem. You collect feedback from all directions. That phase is important.
But eventually, you have to narrow aggressively.
You have to ask who truly loves this product. Who would be upset if it disappeared. Who keeps coming back without being pushed.
Those people matter more than everyone else combined.
Start big, then fire aggressively. Narrow down to your first real customers. Build a habit of talking to prospects and qualifying them. There is no universal formula for this. You find it by talking to enough people until patterns start to appear.
Focus on What Is Actually Working
One thing I am proud of from our YC experience is that we committed early to SEO and GEO and analyzed our acquisition funnel from day one.
At first, it did not feel impactful. Progress was slow. Results were invisible. But we trusted our hunch and stayed consistent.
That work is paying off now. We get organic leads every day. I regularly talk to new potential customers without doing outbound. The lesson was simple and uncomfortable.
Focus on what is working. Then drill down relentlessly.
Some channels reward patience more than intensity. If you believe in a direction, give it time to compound.
You Know Your Business Better Than Anyone
As a founder, you will constantly hear opinions. From investors. From other founders. From people who mean well.
Listen carefully. Then remember this. Nobody understands your business better than you do.
That is not pressure. It is power.
There will be moments when you need to make a bold call. Cut something that feels safe. Commit to something uncertain. Hit the button without complete confidence.
That is part of the job.
I do not have perfect conviction about everything in business. Nobody does. But I am confident about this.
- If you are doing the work, you are not behind.
- If things feel unclear, you are not broken.
- If progress feels slow, you are probably early.
Business is not a perfect game. It is a long one.
Keep going. Focus on the essentials. Trust that the quiet work matters.
