After burning $250,000 on a development agency, I decided to rebuild with a small offshore team. I had never hired developers before. And I'm not a developer myself. That combination is dangerous.
My Startup Notes
Notes from the trenches.
Real stories from building companies — the fundraises, the mis-hires, the pivots, and the board rooms. Details are fictionalized just enough to protect everyone involved. The lessons are all real.
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Previously
How We Burned $250,000 on a Development Agency
Nine months, $250k, and a codebase we eventually threw away. What I learned about agencies, incentives, and why structure is often the enemy of early-stage speed.
You Don't Own a Business — You Own a Job
If your business stops when you stop, you don't own a business. You own a very demanding job. Most service founders resist this truth until it's too late to change course.
The App That Was Ready But the Owner Wasn't
The product was solid. The market was there. The numbers worked. What stopped it wasn't any of that — it was the founder's unwillingness to become the person required to lead it.
Reusable Food Containers: Great Idea, Tough Reality
The sustainability angle was real, the market appetite was real, but the incentives were completely misaligned. A lesson in who carries the risk and who captures the benefit.