Jean-Yves Delmotte
$38k MRR. $0 raised. 0 employees. • Co-founder @ BuddiesHR.com • 5x SaaS Founder • YC alum • Aspiring Marathon Runner
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June 9, 2025
Most founders think raising millions is the path to wealth. (lol)
They're f*cking WRONG.
Here’s what nobody tells you:
Fundraising is just a high-stakes popularity contest for adult children.
It’s not a wealth generator, it's a distraction factory.
Every time another founder posts their “$2M Pre-Seed Win 🚀”
↳ Somewhere, a team of operators groan and close another paying customer.
↳ Somewhere, a bootstrapped savage stacks more real profit.
Let me say it clear:
You don’t get rich off VC checks.
You just swap one boss (a 9–5) for a new one (investors on your f*cking board).
Here’s how the game actually plays out:
1/ You raise a big round.
Instant dopamine.
But now you’re chained.
The runway’s burning.
Investors want updates, not your half-baked roadmaps.
2/ You grow headcount instead of revenue.
10 new hires, 2 new PMs, zero paying users.
But hey, the office neon sign looks great for LinkedIn.
3/ You chase scale before you even have signal.
Brags about ARR projections.
No one’s figured out LTV.
The only “traction” is in spreadsheets cooked up for your next round.
Here’s what turns founders into f*cking moguls, not statistics:
↳ Relentless focus on solving ugly, expensive problems.
↳ Ruthlessly collecting real cash from real customers.
↳ Owning your company cap table. You call the shots. No one pulls your leash.
Ask yourself:
Do you want equity or actual freedom?
Do you want to pitch all day, or print cash and send your own dividends?
Do you want a status update, or a bank statement?
I know because we did this exact thing at BuddiesHR:
We ignored the glory raise.
We went heads-down on revenue like animals.
Now we own our traction, and every f*cking dollar of profit.
Meanwhile, the “funded” founders?
They're still hunting for Series B like rats on a treadmill.
They can keep their CRMs and board slides.
The richest, happiest founders?
They own what they build.
They pick their team.
They keep their upside.
They sleep at night.
Stop trading freedom for runway.
Stop mistaking raising for winning.
Build a business.
Make it print.
Never ask permission.
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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.
Follow me for more content like this 👆
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.
June 9, 2025
