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MS

Michael Seibel

05/07/22

@ Y Combinator

We had three options: die in two months, try to break even, or get profitable.

Video

YC

Save Your Startup During an Economic Downturn

@ Y Combinator

Save Your Startup During an Economic Downturn

05/07/22

Related Takeaways

JK

Justin Kan

05/27/21

@ Justin Kan

We went from burning $250,000 a month to ending 2010 with a million in profit, which was an incredible turnaround for us.

AP

Avni Patel Thompson

01/31/19

@ Y Combinator

Even though we had a solid growth rate, it wasn't enough to sustain the business, leading me to consider shutting it down.

EC

Eric Chen

04/08/25

@ EO

Our experience taught us to be conservative during optimistic times and optimistic during fearful times, ensuring we always had enough runway to survive for more than five years.

AC

Adora Cheung

07/31/14

@ Y Combinator

We realized that to grow our business, we needed to raise capital, as we had no money in the bank after three years of operation, and we didn't want to remain a lifestyle business.

AP

Avni Patel Thompson

01/31/19

@ Y Combinator

I explored three options: pivoting the business, seeking acquisition, or shutting it down completely, ultimately deciding to close Poppy.

AL

Alfred Lin

07/31/14

@ Y Combinator

We aimed to be profitable on the first order, which was uncommon at the time, and this focus on profitability helped us succeed.

DC

Dalton Caldwell

05/07/22

@ Y Combinator

Default alive means I may be burning money today, but my growth rate is high enough to become profitable before my bank account goes to zero.

JC

Jason Citron

04/29/25

@ a16z speedrun

I wouldn't have pivoted away from the game if we didn't run out of money, so I was looking for a pivot because I knew it could happen.

KN

Kirsty Nathoo

08/22/19

@ Y Combinator

If you have six months of runway left, you should start thinking about raising money or achieving profitability, as waiting too long can reduce your leverage with investors.