Speaking on an entrepreneurship panel recently at University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, my alma mater, really made me pause and reflect on the journey so far building Hue. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind of building a company, but moments like these remind me of the bigger picture—and all the lessons learned along the way.
Lesson #1: Pivots ??
We’ve had our share of them, including a big one when we expanded from shade matching to shoppable UGC after digging into customer data. It was a tough decision, but setting clear time-bound goals kept us from spinning in circles. You can’t pivot forever; at some point, you have to make the call.
Lesson #2?Sales and go-to-market ??
People need to be willing to?pay?for your product, not just say it’s a great idea. In a startup, you’re either a builder or a seller, and all founders need to understand how to sell. Crossing the chasm from a couple of beta customers to dozens—and hopefully hundreds—isn’t just about a good product. It’s about building real momentum.
Lesson #3?Co-founders and team ??
Trust is everything. Whether it’s co-founders, team members, or investors, you have to surround yourself with people who believe in you and your vision, especially during the inevitable ups and downs. One thing I’ve been navigating personally is the transition from being an individual contributor to a manager. There’s a shift in mindset—from doing everything yourself to empowering others to succeed. I’ve leaned on the Jeff Bezos Type 1 and Type 2 decision-making framework to figure out what to delegate and what to own. It’s an ongoing learning process, but it’s so critical as you scale.
Fellow founders: What's been your top lesson learned as you've scaled up? ??
Thank you to University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business Sarah L. Lena Corredor for having me and my fellow panelists Aron Solberg Julie Bell Imran M. Alavi for all the insights! Go Bears ??
#Entrepreneurship #UCberkeley #HaasAlumni #StartupLife #Leadership #FoundersJourney #Trust #Innovation #Reflection #Scaling #poweredbyhue #shoppablevideo #videocommerce
Nicole Clay Janvi Shah Angel Catalan Noureen Shallwani Elena Allison Holly Guenther
