Startups
Early-stage companies and the specific, often unglamorous challenges of building one. Most of what actually determines survival looks nothing like the story eventually told about it.
Running a startup is mostly operations, not vision
Startup narratives focus on bold vision and big bets. The daily reality of actually running one is dominated by unglamorous operational decisions instead.
Hiring the first ten employees changes the company forever
The first ten hires set norms that persist long after those specific people have moved on, whether or not founders are deliberate about shaping them.
The co-founder breakup nobody saw coming
Co-founder splits often look sudden from the outside. Nearly all of them were visible, in hindsight, for months before anyone acted on the warning signs.
Splitting equity fairly is harder than it sounds on paper
An equal equity split feels like the fair, conflict-avoiding choice at the start. It can quietly become a source of resentment once contributions diverge.
