Navigating startup life: Our Founder’s learnings from 2023

In the fast-paced world of startups, every year brings opportunities, challenges, and a pile of learnings. The past year of our journey has been a rollercoaster of experiences, and we're excited to share some of the invaluable lessons that have shaped our perspective and approach going forward.?

Here's a glimpse into our Founder, Rohan McCloskey ’s, 10 biggest learnings from the last year…

1. The power of a small, aligned team.

The GoGenerosity team has fluctuated over time. While the periods of smaller numbers were a bit of an adjustment it taught us that working with people who are aligned with the vision (not just ‘yes people’) is very important. Having a small, aligned team has been instrumental to our success, and taught us incredible achievements are possible with a cohesive team all striving towards a shared outcome.?

2. Say "no" more.

?There’s always something you could add, chase, or change when you’re a startup. It’s hard not to go for the shiny objects, however focusing on one thing and saying no to distractions has been a game-changer. It's a constant reminder that maintaining a clear vision is key to progress.

3. Sales make or break a business.

?When you’re a start up that has a product in the market nothing is more vital than sales. Paying customers is the truest validation of our product. Realising this has made us even more focused – without paying customers, we can’t achieve our vision of helping 100 million people in need each year.

4. It’s okay not to be liked.

?Acknowledging that not everyone will love our product has been a liberating realisation. At the start, this was hard to stomach because we believed in our business and vision so much that it was hard to see how anyone couldn’t. However, being able to let it go and understand which opinions are worth listening to has empowered us to handle criticism with grace.

5. Stop and self-reflect.

Regularly asking ourselves the tough questions has become one of the most important parts of our decision-making process. It keeps us accountable, fosters growth, and keeps us aligned with why we’re doing what we do.

6. Purpose is the key to resilience.

As with any startup, we have had our share of ups and downs. Throughout it all the thing that kept our team going was having a clear purpose we all believed in. Our purpose has been a guiding light during challenging times as it makes our work feel more than just a job, it’s a way to impact people in need.

7. Get picky with customers.

Learning to say no to customers who aren't the right fit has been a valuable lesson. At the start we were trying to serve everyone, making our job much harder than it needed to be. Now we’ve learnt that focusing on the customers most aligned with our business saves time and energy, and sets both of us (GoGenerosity and our customers) up for long-term success.

8. Rethink Enterprise.

While enterprise deals can be lucrative, focusing all your energy on only them can exhaust resources. We’ve learnt the hard way that these deals take a long (long, long) time and drain cash so it’s better not to sell to them too early.

9. Manual before automated.

Don’t be scared of manually doing things, that can hinder your progress. We’ve learnt there’s nothing wrong with starting with manual first, refining those processes, and then automating them once you know they’re right. Just focus on getting too many customers and then automate when you can’t keep up.

10. Don’t just money grab.

Every investor relationship is a strategic partnership. Even though there have been times when we want to just say yes to anyone and take their money, taking the time to align with the right investors is crucial. Not every funding source is the right fit, and choosing wisely will save us from unnecessary challenges in the future.

Is there anything you would add to this list? Let us know in the comments so we can all learn together.