E7: Stop Learning About Startups and Just Start One (Why I Failed 3 Times Before SimpleDirect)

I failed at 3 startups before SimpleDirect worked. A ride-sharing app that got destroyed at pitch competitions. A travel planning app that went nowhere. A cashback app that hit #2 on Product Hunt but still died.

Each failure taught me more than years of reading startup books ever could.

The biggest barrier to founder success isn't lack of knowledge - it's not starting in the first place.

My failed projects:

• Ride-sharing app (college): Got humiliated on stage when I couldn't answer basic safety questions. Learned about economics of scale and picking passionate co-founders.
• Travel planning app: Built pre-ChatGPT, failed like Google Trips. Taught me about market timing.
• Evolve cashback app: Hit #2 on Product Hunt, built referral system, still getting signups 4 years later - but ultimately failed as a business.

The problem with startup education:

• Books become outdated faster than you can read them
• Most successful founders don't have economic incentive to teach
• You're learning theory, not practice
• It's like reading "How to Play Basketball" instead of actually playing

What actually works:

1. Just start - pick any idea and execute in the next 10 minutes
2. Solve your own problem - be your first user (like Uber, Airbnb, Dropbox founders)
3. Launch smart - Product Hunt, referral systems, clear value proposition

The Evolve launch strategy that still works:

• Launched on Product Hunt with zero marketing budget
• Built referral program ($5 for each friend, cashout at $25)
• Clear, honest messaging about who we help and why
• Result: #2 product of the day, signups still coming 4 years later

My 160-day French learning experiment: Duolingo daily practice beats language school theory. Same principle applies to startups.

The brutal truth: Reading about startups is procrastination disguised as productivity. Execution teaches you 50-100x faster than theory.

For aspiring founders: You can start, build, and sell something for under $50 total. Stop reading. Start doing.

What's stopping you isn't lack of knowledge - it's fear of starting.

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