The Toughest Challenges of Running a Start-Up and the Lessons Learned

"Running a start-up is like chewing glass and staring into the abyss.” - Chief Twit.

In two years of bootstrapping my business to 9$M+ ARR, here are the toughest challenges I’ve faced as a founder (and the lessons learnt in beating them)👇

— adriane schwager (@aschwags3) June 9, 2023

1. Let’s start with the big one - Balance.

Your business will demand all of your life.
But you don’t always have to give it.

Hardcore is sexy, but we’re fighting for yards, not inches.

Clear boundaries, downtime, and the right balance for you are crucial to long-term success.

— adriane schwager (@aschwags3) June 9, 2023

2. I’m a perfectionist. I don’t like to get things wrong.
But as a founder-CEO, you can’t be.

Your first goal is to get the product out the door.

So I started shipping things early and then tweaking them later.

I still struggle a lot with it, but it’s key to growing our org.

— adriane schwager (@aschwags3) June 9, 2023

3. And that brings us to Personal Growth.

As Founder, you’re always your company’s ceiling. You must stay ahead of the curve. Work on yourself as much as the business so you don't become the bottleneck to growth.

It's very uncomfortable, but you have to lean into it...

— adriane schwager (@aschwags3) June 9, 2023

Or you’ll stagnate and lose momentum. And momentum is very hard to pick back up again.

I invest tons of time into coaching, conscious leadership programs, and learning from my co-founder/mentor @jspujji.

Having great mentors who are further down the same road is priceless.

— adriane schwager (@aschwags3) June 9, 2023

4. Firing

It really sucks. I don’t even like to think about it.

But you can’t not fire someone because it’s hard. It’s unfair to them, the company, and the team.

I had to learn the art of the amicable breakup, and to do them (and me) the long-term favour and let them go.

— adriane schwager (@aschwags3) June 9, 2023

5. Vision

It's key, but so hard to nail.

Great employees (what I call 10s), partners, and even customers buy into your vision more than anything.

Focus on the why, and then pitch your vision. Some will like it. Others won’t.

But you’ll find your people.

— adriane schwager (@aschwags3) June 9, 2023

The unlock: clear vision + immaculate execution

Here's my vision and how we execute it: Give opportunities to super-skilled global talent by embedding them in the best companies. Impeccable service for clients & the best environment for our people abroad to work, grow and learn.

— adriane schwager (@aschwags3) June 9, 2023

6. This is a hard one: client churn.

It was one thing I underestimated before launching GrowthAssistant.

Not the fact that it happens - I knew that - but how bad it hurts.

The first time I lost a client, I cried. And it still sucks.

But I have a new perspective now...

— adriane schwager (@aschwags3) June 9, 2023

And that is "obsess over client feedback." I can’t stress it enough.

They'll tell you what's wrong. You just need to listen.@garyvee says “Let the market decide”

Absolutely. But listen to the market.

Ask clients what's wrong and fix it. It's the best thing I've done as CEO.

— adriane schwager (@aschwags3) June 9, 2023

7. “I’m a fraud…”

We all know the feeling: When business is good, life is good. But self-doubt creeps in the moment something's wrong.

I still deal badly with this one. But focusing on the big picture helps.
To disconnect from the numbers, step back, and see how far I've come.

— adriane schwager (@aschwags3) June 9, 2023

And that’s it from me today.

Wow, this was an emotional one. You hear many founders talk about their learnings, but it cuts real deep when you reflect on your own.

Thanks for reading. Follow me @aschwags3 for more about my experience building @growthasssistant

— adriane schwager (@aschwags3) June 9, 2023