89 lessons learned along my journey
I’m doing my best to document the important lessons I learn along my journey of creating startups. This includes lessons key of how I’m succeeding with startup ideas, as well as lessons for enjoying the journey.
I don’t know whether the same lessons will apply to you, but I hope you’ll find my thoughts useful. Take what fits, and tell me what doesn’t work for you: I’m always learning. I’m pretty sure I’ll even contradict my own advice at times as I learn more.
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Startup life & becoming awesome
What online gaming taught me about startups
Work harder on yourself than you do on your startup
Amongst other things, success requires hard work. Put in the hard work.
There are many lessons along a startup journey: 10 of mine from 2011
I find it’s always useful to take time to reflect
Like anything else, we need to practice startups
Failure comes with the territory of being a startup founder
It is important that I remember: I have no idea what I am doing
When things feel comfortable, it’s probably time to push yourself more
Sleep is important - use a ritual to get good sleep consistently
Disengage from your startup for maximum productivity
Being naive can be a good thing
Things get chaotic at times - learn how to handle it
Question and adjust your goals from time to time
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
Exercise to improve your sleep
Why I crave mistakes
Are you genuinely interested in other people?
Want to be happy and successful? Bring happiness to others
Why I’m helping startup founders
6 things I do to be consistently happy
Why you should continue working on your bad idea
Why context is so important
The power of ignoring mainstream news
How an investor who turned me down ended up sleeping on my couch
5 realisations that helped me write regularly
Maximize your excitement
The magic of a great startup ecosystem
Want to be successful? Be inconsistent
Thoughts on dropping out to do a startup
The Anti-Todo List
Want to create a new habit? Get ready to break it.
The highs and lows of startup life
Two important and often overlooked aspects of creating a lasting morning routine
Focus on the line, not the dot
Zero notifications
What is failure for you?
5 reasons as a CEO you should develop a habit of daily meditation
The evening walk
Expert of nothing
Make progress faster by cooperating: 4 tips to try with your co-founder or co-worker
The third option
When creating new habits, let yourself be sloppy
Why I’m going to Hawaii with my co-founder
Want to help your hometown? Pack up and leave
Dreams come trueStarting up
Don’t register your idea as a company
It is worth thinking about the purpose of your “coming soon” page
Kickstart your startup by doing things that don’t scale
Being in a great location can help your startup, but don’t delay starting
There are many ways to bootstrap a startup. Consider the options
When you’re building your first startup, beware of the social ideas
Starting can be the hardest part of a startup - here are 4 steps to starting
Avoid the thoughts about changing the world
Work on your startup on the side
Work on your startup in “waves”
Making money with a product: a myth?
How coffee shops helped my startup
How to name your startup
Pricing your product: it doesn’t have to be so complicated
Thoughts on when to incorporate
Start something small
What are your top 3 challenges?
Feeling like a fraud while doing startups
Thinking about your goal with a startup
How to get more replies to the emails you send: be specific
5 things that seem essential that we launched Buffer without
The undervalued advantages of being a small startupProduct development & strategy
Adopt a mindset that your product is always finished
You never know how something will turn out - act anyway
Fear not shipping more than shipping
What can we do now?
Use the happiness advantage
Plan or build?
How to gain traction in two sided markets
The paradox of how bugs and downtime can be a good thingMarketing & community
Your startup should have a point of view - here’s why
It’s easy to delay marketing. Starting early gives you a big advantageStartup team & culture
Co-founders are very important, but 50/50 may not be the best way
For the first few people, hire from your network
Your startup is a rocket ship
Thoughts on travelling with your startup
An invitation to come and hack on Buffer
The maker/manager transition phase
The evolution of culture at a startupRaising funding
Timing is an important part of raising funding, especially as a first-time founder.Achieving overnight success
Achieving overnight success: Kevin Systrom
Achieving overnight success: Tom Preston-WernerTop photo credit: Christopher Schoenbohm
