Building The Muse was incredibly challenging, especially in the early days when I was cold emailing 800 student groups to gain our first users and pitching to over 150 VC firms, receiving 148 rejections in six months. Despite the struggle, I learned that while it never truly gets easy, the risk of failure diminishes as the company grows.

As a startup grows, the focus shifts from just acquiring users to ensuring sustainable growth and revenue. We learned the hard way that even if users love our product, we must also pay attention to our overall growth metrics to avoid becoming a beloved startup that fails due to lack of financial viability.

In the early stages of a startup, it's crucial to focus on getting a product out to market rather than perfecting it. Feedback and iteration are key to success, as demonstrated by our experience at Y Combinator when we were advised to launch quickly instead of getting bogged down in details.

Company culture is vital for long-term success, even if it doesn't seem like an immediate risk. As The Muse grew from 12 to over 80 employees, I realized that establishing core values and ensuring alignment during hiring is essential for maintaining a strong culture. The culture screen of asking if you'd want to get a beer with someone can overlook incredible candidates who are different from you.

At The Muse, we prioritize candidates based on their alignment with our core values for the long-term future of the company.

Culture is about making tough choices, like deciding not to hire a highly skilled candidate if they don't fit well with the team.

One bad hire can have a far greater negative impact on your team than the skills that person brings.

It's crucial to be honest and authentic about your core values and culture, as culture is defined by behavior, not just words on a wall.

When a company cuts back on perks like free lunches, being transparent about the reasons fosters trust rather than treating employees like children.

At The Muse, we emphasize transparency by sharing board decks and detailed budgets with the entire company after meetings.

Raising more capital can be beneficial, as long as founders maintain control over spending and prioritize scrappiness.

Communicating how funds are allocated helps maintain a scrappy ethos while ensuring that spending aligns with company priorities.

It's important to remember why you started your company, especially during challenging times, to stay motivated and focused on long-term goals.