Templates by andreas jonsson

Even seasoned founders get anxious, nervous, and feel like imposters from time to time.

It just doesn't go away. At least not entirely.

Thought you should know.

I’m no LinkedIn expert. And this is not advice for winning on LinkedIn.

But if today was my first day here, this is roughly what I’d do.

- Decide who I show up for

- Decide what my intention is

- Decide what my key message is (or the story I want to tell)

That would be my foundation.

Then I'd keep asking myself, "what's in it for them?" And I’d commit to 6-9 months of content creation at a frequency I can sustain. (Because this shit takes time, and it's harder than it looks.)

I’d talk about the same few things in many different ways. To keep it fresh and nuanced. And to make sure people think of me when they think of the thing I talk about most.

And that's pretty much it. I wouldn't overcomplicate it. There's no need to. I'd rather get going and learn while I'm at it.

Oh, and I'd comment some too. And send a bunch of connection requests daily. Both to people I know, and don't know. To expand my network, and the reach of my content. And to get more cool people in my feed.

But again, I'm no LinkedIn expert.

What would you do if today was your first day on LinkedIn?

You don’t need millions of impressions for your posts to be worth it.

All you need is the right people seeing your content over and over again. Maybe even just once. And suddenly, you’ll find all kinds of opportunities knocking on your door.

You don’t need to please the masses nor go viral to make it happen. There’s room to be yourself here. And that’s the power of social media when you have the courage to lean into it.

I like to think of product-market fit in 2 ways:

Repeat usage and repeat sales.

1/ Repeat usage

Do people keep coming back for what you offer right now? This suggests you're better than whatever came before. No matter how frustrated they are with your scrappy solution. (Usually it's a good sign when users share their frustrations. It shows that they care.)

2/ Repeat sales

First sale is a great signal. But the renewal, or repeat sale, is way stronger. It wasn't just an oopsie or a one-off. Your customer came back. You're on to something.

Put the two together and you get an idea of where your product-market fit is at.

High usage + repeat sales? Strong product-market fit.

Low usage + no repeat sales? Weak product-market fit.

Somewhere between? Figure out what's going on, and how to remove friction and improve the situation. From your customer's point of view.

BONUS: Word of mouth and referrals. Someone may not need your thing themselves right now, but they think others would benefit. So they talk about you and what you do. Great signal too.

PS raising money is not product-market fit

Just because an investor likes your idea doesn’t mean the idea is any good.

Investors are not oracles. They don’t fucking know. (Like the rest of us don’t.)

Remember, they run a PORTFOLIO of companies. They diversify for a reason. And that reason is most of their bets (ie. investments) goes to shit.

Seek validation in your market, from the people you're looking to serve. Customers, you know. That's the kind of validation that's useful for building a real business. Nothing else matters. Not really.

As a bootstrapped founder you're free from:

- pitch decks

- board meetings

- investor relations

- inflated valuations

- mainstream media

- startup conferences

- hyper growth pressure

Instead, you're free to focus on:

- the problem you're solving

- the people you solve it for

- how you're going to solve it

- and how you'll make money

(The things that matter most if you wanna build a real business, let's be honest.)

✌🏻

Say no to most, and yes to what aligns with your top priorities. That's how you get ahead. The rest is just noise.

Instead of raising money, try slinging espressos part time at your local café.

It comes with no runway, no pressure. Except for the 9 bars it takes to pull a good shot.

There are many ways to fund your startup.

Especially when you're able to check your ego, roll up your sleeves, and get to work. Bootstrapping your business is absolutely fucking doable. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I'm in your corner. Go get it.

Day 1 as a first-time founder? I'd focus on:

1/ going from zero to ramen

2/ by talking to users

3/ and building something they want (to pay for)

In other words, a laser focus on the fundamentals. Nothing else.

No startup conferences, no pitch competitions. No fundraising, no chasing 30under30. No networking boat trips, no bullshit. None of that. Just the fundamentals of building a real business.

Getting to the ramen stage means you can:

1/ pay yourself a modest salary

2/ and survive on ramen noodles

3/ while keeping the lights on for another day

In other words, you create an infinite runway for yourself.

And now you can choose your own adventure for real. On your own terms, in your own time. All while staying in the driver's seat. You don't have to hand the keys over. You don't have to do anything you don't wanna do.

If you want to bootstrap your business, this is how you do it. Fundamentals over everything. Simple, not easy. No distractions, laser focus.

Build, ship, sell, repeat.

(In case you wonder, this is also the best fundraising strategy early on. Prove traction. Early revenue. Doing the work. Instead of just standing there with a deck and a dream begging for someone to fund you on day one.)