After my engineer quit, I felt lost and worried about the future of Gobble, but I reached out to trusted investors who helped me find a replacement. I learned to code and eventually hired great engineers, but this delayed our launch and was a significant setback for Gobble.

The emotional toll of pivoting a startup is significant; it feels like a failure when you've invested so much into a product that ultimately doesn't work.

Despite my art background, I followed my passion into the startup world, even though I initially felt unqualified and struggled with self-doubt.

I made the mistake of comparing my startup to competitors who had already raised money, which led to unrealistic expectations about my own fundraising efforts.

After launching our first product, we received positive feedback from investors, but I was unaware that we were about to face a long period of struggle.

After getting into Y Combinator, we made early-stage mistakes by hiring without proper culture fit vetting and dreaming too big without focusing on execution.

There were dark nights when I regretted starting my own company, especially when funding dried up and the runway was short.

Our startup's success was tied to our ego; failing meant failing at life, which motivated us to persevere.

Startups are incredibly difficult, and without a strong narrative to motivate you during tough times, you risk quitting and ultimately failing.