When you are a small teams and growing businesses/startups. What is the biggest challenge against scaling your business? ( i will not promote ) For small teams and growing businesses/startups It is difficult to grow fast while handling all the business operations. What has been your experience with it? And what do you think makes it harder to scale and work on the current operations simultaneously? 3 0 replies
Any other crowdfunding platforms than Kickstarter and Indiegogo for hardware (I will not promote) I'm making a travel size hot air brush. For now I did an initial prototype and working with the designer to make it nice and create photos. What are the other crowdfunding platforms than Kickstarter and Indiegogo? I was told that Y combinator is not really a good match for hardware and for the hair brush (it doesn't have any AI, it is very simple, but there is no such thing available now) 2 0 replies
YC Alternatives (I will not promote) (I will not promote) What are some good YC alternatives to check out in the meantime in case you get rejected by YC? I searched some to name a few: - 500 Startup - Antler - Startmate - Angelpad Anyone who has experience going through any? Would love some ideas or any path for getting into the startup world. Even networking with the right community would be great to start learning Level 0 of startup > scale. Just like any business or field it’s much much easier and executable... 1 0 replies
Are Smaller, Specialized AI Models the Future for Startups? Lessons from OpenAI’s Talent Exodus (I will not promote) Hey Reddit! Just read something wild about the latest AI drama that's got me thinking. Remember when Mira Murati left OpenAI? Turns out she's been busy building something that could flip the AI world on its head. What caught my attention isn't just the $300M war chest or the talent exodus (though 30+ OpenAI researchers jumping ship is pretty spicy). It's how they're approaching AI differently - instead of building massive models like GPT-5, they're creating smaller, specialized AIs that are weirdly effective. Like, they built one that speaks... 2 0 replies
Is a Product Hunt Launch Still Worth the Effort for Startups in 2025? - I will not promote Hey everyone. I’m working on a new **SaaS** product (early-stage) and trying to decide if a Product Hunt launch is still worth it in 2025**.** I’ve seen some mixed opinions—some say it’s a **must for credibility and visibility (especially for SEO)** while others claim it **no longer drives real traction** unless you already have an audience. For those of you who have launched on **PH in the last 1-2 years**, did it actually move the needle? * Did it drive **long-term signups or just a one-day spike?** * Any... 3 0 replies
Got an Interview for the accelerator program but what to expect. (I will not promote) So I am applying for multiple accelerator and got and selected for 2nd round what for the first time in my life we have 4.2k MAU and and total around 9k User but as this is my first time I don't know what to expect in the interview if any of you have any experience plz share it . (I will not promote) 1 0 replies
Starting from scratch and learning what not to do (I will not promote) Basically, the title. I'm diving into entrepreneurship while still holding down my 9-to-5. Since time is limited, I want to make every step count by learning from those who have already navigated this path. Instead of reinventing the wheel (or making unnecessary mistakes), I’d love to hear insights from experienced entrepreneurs, especially on what not to do. I know that some lessons only come through experience, but if I can sidestep common pitfalls early on, I’ll have a much better chance at building something sustainable. Whether it’s avoiding bad... 2 0 replies
I will not promote, M19 - After long preparation I am seeking guidance on building my first legitimate start-up I'm 19, the oldest of 4 in a low-income, single-parent household. After working 13 jobs, I’ve saved enough to commit a year to building a startup full-time. My biggest roadblock: **identifying a real problem worth solving.** I understand that solutions in search of problems fail, so I’ve spent the last month trying to talk to businesses—cold emails, calls, in-person visits—**hundreds of attempts, almost zero useful responses.** I know the best startups solve real pain points, ideally B2B, but I can’t even get in front of decision-makers to ask what... 2 0 replies
How to market "boring" products (APIs, DevTools, etc.) I will not promote We sucked at marketing our product (an API-based infra product aimed at engineers) for a long time. We tried a bunch of stuff we saw work for other companies, but it flopped for us. It wasn't bad execution, it was a bad fit between marketing tactics and our product. I think this is an aspect nobody talks about in startup marketing: How people buy your product. I think there are two main products that get bought (and used) differently: Sexy and boring. \-Sexy products get discovered, not sought out.... 1 0 replies
Project management in early stages (I will not promote) I’m at odds with my cofounder about how to get our product built. I feel that the way larger teams operate, with dedicated sprints and tickets for everything, is overkill when what we really need right now is to build quickly. I feel like if there’s something that doesn’t work well we should just go fix it and trust that it’s being done right. My cofounder believes everything needs to be scoped and planned for ahead of time, with nothing getting pulled into a sprint without it being groomed... 2 0 replies
Need help building an app (I will not promote) Hi all! I wanted to gain some insight from the minds in this sub. To start out, I wanted to tell you all that I am not a technical mind. I have done any technical work in the past. My background is 25+ years in sales, biz dev, marketing, CS, etc. However, in the last week or so I've attempted to build an app by using Cursor AI and other AI tools. But I'm beginning to hit a roadblock with connecting databases/the back end to the front end. If... 2 0 replies
Building a Startup, but have a 6 figure offer at a bank (I will not promote) Hi everyone! I am currently building/built a fintech startup with my cofounder, and we have a fully working product, have about 15 beta testers on and giving feedback, and have been working on this for about 6 months now. Money is starting to get tight and I just got a job opportunity at a bank for a pretty nice salary (6 figures). This job is a very good opportunity to work with an incredible mentor but there is no real path forward after this job. Should I stick with... 3 0 replies
Am I crazy to think I don’t need a “CTO”? “I will not promote” I have always been a “technical” or “tech-savvy” person but I’ve never considered myself a programmer or engineer. With good reason, I don’t know how to actually write code. Like everyone else though, I’ve leveraged NLMs extensively for the past 12 months and I have created a full stack MERN web app. Hosted the front end on vercel and the back end on render. Mongo and Azure blob for storage. I have extensively QA’d the application for months and everything works. Deployed to production environments and all. I know... 4 0 replies
Looking for a Business Owner that wants to test a new sales system - I will not promote Hi everyone! I’m looking for a few of you (5-10 max) to test a system we’re developing that will help optimize and automate parts of the sales process through various methods. This could include outreach, content generation, lead qualification, follow-up, CRM automation, etc. We have a team of senior software developers, and the goal is to help you manage your business in a more hands-off way, allowing you to focus on high-value activities and human interactions. All we need is your feedback throughout the process so we can maximize... 5 0 replies
I will not promote Help with company law !!! I just spoke to a lawyer today about starting a start up. It’s basically software (an app) targeted at people living primarily in the US. The way we make money is through subscriptions. I heard the best way to do it is make a pvt limited in India as it’s easier to raise funds and issue equity. The problem is I have a cofounder and want to give him 15% upon joining and 15% vested equity on delivery of the MVP and would also like to set up an... 1 0 replies
Advice on Bringing in an Equity Partner? i will not promote Seems to be a lot of tech startups in this sub so hoping I'm in the right place! I run a fast growing cleaning company - going on 16 months, been running it remotely for the past 10 months. it grew pretty quick & i'm hoping to scale it even faster. $230k rev in it's first year. Low overhead model, with clear processes for expansion into 4 more low-competition cities once we get our operations tightened up. Main reason for this post - I'm not new to the business... 3 0 replies
How to pay collaborators to the service business with little money? [ADVISE] I will not promote hello pals I have an idea to do as a "marketing agency" or something initial, focused on professionals who know a lot about their jobs but dont know anything about how to promote and sell themselves and therefore is very bad economically.... currently I have my medical practice and because of my knowledge in digital marketing and sales we are never out of work thank god and I know how I can help them, but I cant do that work for others to lack of my time. so, I... 5 0 replies
Unvested founders shares and participation in an early exit? (I will not promote) (i will not promote) This feels like a rookie question, but I can't find a clear answer. In the scenario where a startup achieves an early exit but do not have 100% acceleration, do they still distribute the whole founders pool to the founders, or do the proportions shift to the investors. This is unusual for us because we have a "superfounder" not on the same vesting schedule. For example (assuming no ESOP): * $1M raised via SAFE with a $5M cap = 20% owned by investors upon conversion,... 3 0 replies
Seeking Advice on Starting a Business at 19 (Almost 20!) While Working a 9 to 5 “I will not promote” I’m 19 years old (turning 20 soon) and currently working a typical 9 to 5 job. While I’m grateful for having stable work, I’ve started feeling like I want something more like starting my own business. The idea of creating something from scratch and being my own boss is really exciting, but here’s the catch: I have no idea what kind of business to start! 😅 1. What kind of business should I start? - What are some low-cost ideas or products/services I could sell? - How can I... 2 0 replies
How LONG are you giving yourself to make your startup work? (I will not promote) I haven't been able to build a successful startup in less than 7 years. My current one is going on 13. I hear a lot of "I'm giving it a year or so" and I'm thinking "OK well then you're pretty much guaranteeing failure because it takes way longer than that to possibly be successful." I'm curious what folks expectations here are on how long they expect to keep working on their startup before they decide whether or not it's working? Really interested to hear where those timeline expectations... 2 0 replies
