100 Mentors Walk Into a Startup...

100 Mentors Walk Into a Startup...

Spoiler: none of them said “make it perfect.” Here’s what real founders wish they’d learned sooner.

Spoiler: none of them said “make it perfect.” Here’s what real founders wish they’d learned sooner.

The gist…

The gist…

Most business advice online feels like it was written by a bot in a hoodie. So I asked 100 real founders and mentors one question:

“What do you wish someone told you before you started?”

The answers were sage, funny, and surprisingly consistent. Forget chasing perfection: launch early. Build rhythms that last. Focus like your sanity depends on it. Talk to your customers. Talk to your customers (yes, I said that twice for emphasis).And accept that even when you do everything right, you can still lose (but you’ll lose smarter next time).

What We Get Into:

  • Why “perfect” is just procrastination in disguise

  • How to build rhythm before you build burnout

  • A focus habit that actually compounds

  • What talking to your customers really fixes

  • How to lose well, and come back faster

Inside the conversation…

Inside the conversation…

Inside the conversation…

HEY

I’m Tom, and I run Cold. I help startup founders and marketers make progress.

If you want to go deeper, see how I work, and explore ways we can collaborate, head here: