Andrew Chen’s Post

Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth - Mike Tyson. Of course Iron Mike said this regarding his match with Evander Holyfield, But he could have just as well been describing life in a startup. No matter how many strategies you have and all the Gantt Charts you create, You get punched in the mouth sooner than later. And life at Klaar is no exception. While we are growing rapidly, there definitely are days that punch really hard. On such days, I only focus on the most low hanging fruit. Get back up. Over and over. Survive. Then next day, get up & throw some punches yourself. #startup

ACHIEVING OUR DREAMS BY BETTING EVERYTHING ON THE WRONG PLAN I rarely write directly of our work at Scene Change but you get the occasional milestone moment. We had one of those this week, a big televised project of a scale we would not have dreamed possible when we set up our plucky little upstart brand. How did we get to this point? By having the wrong plan from the day we opened. If that plan had worked, our working lives would have been so much worse. Read the full story: It's OK that nobody loves you. https://lnkd.in/e66iyPsK #sales #strategy #startup

Set Up for Step Up V - 001 "For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories" - Plato “The worst of all deceptions is self-deception.” Self-deception can be a detrimental pitfall for startup founders. This is why the key to success in early-stage startups usually lies in validating your own ideas and assumptions before investing resources into building a real business. Most of your struggles as a founder would be related to your own character. You’d have to find the strength to push yourself to do the things that you know need to be done despite being outside of your comfort zone

In his insightful article, Paul Graham delves into "Founder Mode," a state of intense focus and productivity essential for startup success. Graham explores how founders can harness this mode to overcome obstacles, drive innovation, and steer their ventures towards growth. His reflections offer valuable lessons on maintaining perseverance and clarity in the high-stakes startup environment. For aspiring entrepreneurs and startup enthusiasts, this article provides practical wisdom on navigating the challenges of building a business from the ground up. Link to the article: https://lnkd.in/g_sNamVF ---

We had ZERO revenue in the 1st year of our startup! What we did: - Spent $10,000 building complex products → eventually thrown into the bin What we should have done: - Talk to people from our extended network to get clients - Focus on maximising successful projects #startup

One of the toughest parts about being an early stage startup founder is flexing from high level strategic thinking down to lower level operational tasks. Following through on the “doing” part of ideation creates the traction our business requires to move forward. One practice that is helping our team is continually documenting our progress against our business plan. #thoughts #startup #founder

Team, product, customers!!! As Jason Calacanis very clearly states: It's hard for startup teams to focus. They easily get distracted with mission statement, social media, cap table, fundraising, etc. At Cake, we exist to remove all the distraction with equity, so you as a founder and your team can focus on what truly matters! Your customers! Try it today if you want to move faster and have a bigger impact as a startup. #CustomerFocus #BuildToDelight #NoDistractions

"There are really three things that startups do and everything else is minor and generally speaking unimportant. You build a team that builds a product that delights customers." Chaos is what causes progress, and it's your job to make the best out of that opportunity as a startup founder. It's really easy to get distracted because there's so much happening around you, and it feels like everything needs your attention. But the truth is, there are only three things that you should be focusing on: team, product, and customers. Check out what Jason Calacanis had to say about using your time and energy to focus on the right things as a startup founder.

How do you get sh*t done? What an awesome night hanging out with Vancouver founders at entrepreneurship@UBC ! Learned a ton of strategies and tools from the impressive panel of local product & service founders. Super inspiring to hear their stories of success and failure 💡#productivity #startups #networking

What is the right way to start-up a company? During our conversation, MS Ragul emphasized the importance of having a solid idea and a clear solution before starting a company. He shared that starting a startup should be driven by a genuine problem-solving approach, not just the desire to create a startup. He also discussed the significance of delivering products and services that truly benefit people and can scale effectively. From Ragul’s insights, I learned the value of passion, patience, and having a well-defined goal for a successful startup journey.