DO NOT build a startup. Seriously. Don’t.
Unless you enjoy:
↳ sleep deprivation
↳ eating investor rejections for breakfast
↳ waking up to customer complaints at 3 a.m.
↳ trading actual weekends for endless “quick calls”
↳ doubling your grey hair every fundraising season
↳ watching your co-founder quit when things get ugly
↳ chasing late invoice payments like a deranged bill collector
↳ realizing the market doesn’t care about your “unique” vision
↳ feeling like everyone around you is winning while you’re stuck in MVP hell
↳ explaining to your family why you’re still broke after “launching something big”
You still here?
Here’s the reality check:
If your “big idea” is still marinating in your head and you haven’t talked to a single user.
→ Don’t start.
If you’re copying what’s trending on TechCrunch because it looks glamorous.
→ You’re already lost.
If your only motivation is that your college roommate just got funded.
→ Get ready to watch him outspend, outcrash, and outhumblebrag you into oblivion.
Want to know what “foundership” really looks like?
It’s shipping and watching it crash. Then fixing, alone, at 2am.
It’s hiring killers, then questioning every directive you make when they challenge you.
It’s seeing customers ghost, investors interrogate, and copycats clone you, all on a Monday.
If you read this and think, “hell yes, sign me up”?
Congrats, you might be one of the maniacs who survives.
But if you’re here for the flex, the #founder life on LinkedIn, the “I built something” dopamine...
Save yourself the pain.
Walk away.
Because this is not a badge.
It’s a war.
Most of you will quit.
Some of you need the pain just to breathe.
Do it because the problem keeps you up at night.
Not for follower counts.
This is not theoretical. At BuddiesHR, it's daily life.
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👋 Hey, I'm J.Y!
I'm the co-founder of BuddiesHR, the #1 Employee Engagement Software that lives in Slack.
I post 1x a day about my journey and share what I've learned along the way.
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P.S. I'm writing a no-BS B2B SaaS playbook with everything I've learned. Want a free copy? Click “Visit my website” to sign up.