What I learned after talking to more than 50 founders

I’ve spoken to more than 50 founders now, through SyncMate, The Founder Side, and conversations outside both.

That number doesn’t make me an expert on startups. I’m still a student, and I’m figuring out plenty of things myself. But those conversations have given me a lot to think about—especially when I look back at the things I’ve tried building.

The biggest lesson? An idea can sound great in a conversation and still be incredibly difficult to turn into a business.

I know that sounds obvious. But it’s easy to forget when you’re excited about something.

You think about the name, the launch, the Instagram page. You imagine how people will react. Then you have to find your first customer, explain what you actually do, and deliver something worth paying for.

That part tends to be less exciting.

I’ve tried running an IT agency and a cloud kitchen. Neither lasted very long. So when I talk to founders now, I’m interested in what happened after they started. After the announcement. After their friends said, “This looks cool.”

What made someone come back? What took longer than expected? What did they spend money on that they wouldn’t spend money on again?

Those answers are useful.

Another thing I’ve learned is to be more careful with advice.

Two founders can give you completely different answers to the same question. One might tell you to launch quickly. Another might tell you they wish they’d spent more time understanding their customer.

Both can have a point.

The useful part is understanding why they’re saying it. What were they building? Who were they selling to? What went wrong for them?

Without that context, it’s very easy to take someone else’s lesson and apply it to a situation where it doesn’t fit.

I’ve also started paying more attention to the questions founders ask.

It’s tempting to ask someone whether they like your idea. But what are they supposed to say? Most people will be polite.

A better conversation gets into the problem.

Who deals with it? How are they handling it today? Is it annoying enough that they would actually change what they’re doing?

Those questions can make an idea feel less impressive for a while. They can also save you months of building something nobody needs.

And then there’s the work itself.

There’s so much attention on starting that it’s easy to underestimate what comes next. Following up. Fixing the same issue again. Having an uncomfortable conversation. Doing something you said you’d do, even when you’re no longer excited about it.

I’m still working on that last one.

Talking to founders hasn’t given me a perfect formula to follow. If anything, it’s made me more suspicious of perfect formulas.

What it has given me is a better way to have these conversations. I want to understand the decisions behind the outcome, including the awkward ones. I want to know what someone changed their mind about.

That’s a big part of why I’m building SyncMate and hosting The Founder Side.

There’s plenty of content telling us that we should start something. I’m interested in what happens when we actually do.

And if you’re sitting on an idea, I’d like to hear it.

It doesn’t need a polished deck. Tell me what you’re thinking about, who it might help, and what you’re stuck on.

Head to “Share your idea” on this website. Let’s start there.