Alex Sukhanov’s Post

We're a 'managed fractional collective' - sounds fancy right? Effectively, we build fractional teams for startups (& beyond) across FinOps & PeopleOps and we have a team behind the scenes overseeing the service The advantage of this vs a old fashioned firm? We're focused on input, not output. This means regularly reviewing our scope with partners, what you need at the beginning of our time together, isn't always what you need in 3 months time AKA we're not building a scope purely for profit. We question everything. ❓ Do they have the right level of support from us ❓ Do we need to amend the amount of time we're with them each week ❓ Will they need cover for team holiday/sick leave Things move quickly in a startup... so do we. This allows us to make adjustments to the support we offer. We're able to design a team to suit the stage you're at. Not the stage we want you to be, that ultimately suits us. Need experts to help design your financial or people processes - feel free to drop me a message.

No one will remember if you worked late. Except your kids. It took me building a $9M company to understand this. When I started Expandi, I thought success meant: • Grinding 16-hour days • Always being available • Sacrificing everything else Then my 2 beautiful kids were born. And reality hit me in the face: You can work until 2 a.m. But your toddler will still wake you up at 3 a.m. And in that moment: • Your 9 am meeting doesn't matter • Your deadlines don't matter • Your metrics don't matter They just need their parent. And you need to be there for them despite the chaos. The startup world often glorifies sacrifice. But the truth is, your startup can recover from: • Bad quarters • Failed launches • Lost deals But your kids won’t understand why you: • Missed their games • Skipped their dances • Weren't there for dinner I still work those long hours. But now I know what really matters: In 20 years, my kids won't remember my startup's valuation. But they'll remember if I showed up. And that’s what I do every single day.

Most of my bad investments have been with companies caught in this cycle. Raising capital is a talent that has little to do with operational skills. Many founders are constantly raising cash and then spending it inefficiently on less important things, only to go back and raise more. It’s not just about lavish office spaces and fancy perks; it's often about building an unnecessarily large and unsustainable headcount that drains resources without adding real value.

🤣 Dear #Founders and #Entrepreneurs, Remember this: Eric Schmidt, while successful as #Google's #CEO, has never been a #founder: So if any #investor is asking you to start with no salary, it just means you don't need him. If investors expect #entrepreneurs to work for free or at a loss, it raises the question: Are they truly supporting #innovation, or are they just looking for cheap labor? A founder isn’t merely a tool for an investor's gain; they are the architects of their own destiny. And let’s not forget this: there’s a significant difference between being a #founder and being a #leader brought in after the fact. Eric Schmidt, while successful as Google's CEO, wasn’t a founder. He stepped in after the groundwork was laid, after the risks were taken by the true #founders. When someone who hasn’t been in the trenches preaches about sacrifice without truly understanding the emotional and financial toll it takes, it becomes clear : they might not fully grasp the essence of #entrepreneurship. So, when #investors judge or pressure #founders to forgo a salary, they might be missing the point. A real investor understands that a founder's well-being is crucial to their ability to build something great. After all, sustainable growth comes from a balance of sacrifice and support, not from deprivation. So once more: "if any investor is asking you to start with no salary, it just means you don't him". #startups #startup #startuplife #tech #money

It’s easier to increase fixed costs than it is to reduce them. This is why startups should be very careful before they increase their fixed costs. If you have high fixed costs, then you are very sensitive to changes in volume of sales. Ironically, the first thing many startups do when raising a big VC round is they increase their fixed costs by hiring dozens of software engineers. This is only to later see that they have to lay these engineers off after they don’t hit their volume goals for sales. Often instead you could use that VC money to grow your marketing budget and sales volume while keeping your fixed costs the same with a smaller software team that only builds the essential features.

💰I'm an inch away from having my first £20,000 month and it's f*****n crazy to me. But here's why it's not what it seems: For my first 6 years of building startups, I was focused on one thing: capital creation (read: creating enough money to stay afloat) And most of the time, I barely managed. The truth is in my entire career there hasn't been a single year that I have made more than $25,000. I've been on an endless cycle of building, scrimping, iterating, failing, and starting again. So to open Stripe and see nearly £20k processed in 4 weeks. This should feel like a freakin' enormous milestone, right? Making what I'd usually make in a whole year, in a single month?! But I'm holding off from poppin' the champagne, because I realize I've simply entered a new phase of the business. From *capital creation* to *capital allocation* Now that we're making meaningful revenue, I need to tap into a whole new skillset: spending it well. Honestly, this is pretty scary. In many ways, it feels new and uncomfy and out of my wheelhouse. How do we protect our values as we scale? Am I being an ethical, effective leader in the world? How can I make sure I can keep paying my incredible team? How can I not f*** up this incredible thing we've created? The pressure on founders is immense not because of the day-to-day, but because we're consistently reaching new phases. We're playing in the unknown. We're trying to make it look effortless, but there's so much overthinking, second-guessing, and making educated guesses. I'm so proud to be here, but I'm nervous / ecstatic / humbled/ grateful / excited (ALL THE FEELS) to see what this next phase brings for me and my tiny team I hope sharing this resonates with the builders out there! ❤️ PS: thank you EVERYONE for your amazing amazing amazing support through every phase of Generalist World, let's go get this next one 🌀🌀 🌀 🌀 #bootstrapping #buildinpublic

Silicon Valley is supposed to be fast-paced, right? Not for us. But it ended up changing our lives. We, fresh off running a chaotic service business, suddenly faced the slowest weeks of our lives. Back home, we lived on adrenaline: - 12-hour workdays,  - constant deadlines, - endless client projects,  Here? Pure silence. No urgent tasks.  No pressure.  It felt wrong. But despite everything, one thing happened right. We learned the problem that many people in the ecosystem were facing – the problem of "exceptional user onboarding". Day after day, the same pain point kept surfacing. The Bay Area's startup community opened doors for us by making us aware. So if I look back, those weeks in San Francisco are what led to the genesis of UserGuiding. One learning? Sometimes slowing down could be life-changing in the long run 💫 Ps. a great chat with Alexander sometime back.  ---------- Hope this post helped 🙌 Follow me for more insights on entrepreneurship, SaaS, and life as a founder.

Startup Fuckups Founders Should Avoid: 1. Not communicating with users. 2. Growing the team prematurely. 3. Refusing to pivot even when necessary. 4. Making promises but failing to deliver. 5. Lacking adaptability to changing circumstances. 6. Assuming success in one market means success in all markets. 7. Sticking with a bad idea instead of pivoting. 8. Limiting yourself to a small number of funding sources. 9. Neglecting to start with angel investors or seek advice from experienced founders. 10. Focusing only on "playing startup" and ignoring core values. 11. Trying to progress without a clear plan. 12. Failing to understand all parties' interests and just focusing on numbers. 13. Ignoring local and global laws and regulations. 14. Not clarifying equity, shares, partnerships, and roles upfront. 15. Signing contracts without full understanding, leading to future surprises. 16. Using outdated templates and avoiding hiring legal help when necessary. 17. Relying on non-binding handshakes and informal agreements. 18. Damaging your reputation by neglecting investor relations, company culture, or transparency with employees. 19. Getting caught in an emotional roller coaster, such as avoiding conflicts and fearing big moves. All of these are based on real stories from founders at today's Fuckups Night. #GoogleCampus #StartupJourney #FounderStories

Building a successful business isn’t about luxury 🏢; it’s about prioritizing growth 📈 over comfort 🛋️. True founders focus on making smart, strategic decisions with limited resources 💡, understanding that sacrifice and discipline 💪 are key to long-term success. The message? Keep your eye on the mission 🎯, not the perks. The journey may start with minimal rewards, but the payoff is in the impact you create 🌟. ——— #StartupWisdom #Frugality #EntrepreneurMindset #FocusOnGrowth #SpreadHappiness

🚀 Eric Schmidt (former Google CEO) nailed it: “The best founders are frugal.” 💡 He cringes at startups with: 💼 Beautiful offices 🪑 Really nice chairs 🎁 Fancy perks Because true founders understand: 💵 Money is a tool, not a toy 📈 Resources are for growth, not comfort 💪 Success comes from sacrifice, not luxury The most successful founders? They often start with $0 salary. It’s not about the perks, it’s about the vision, the grind, and the long-term goal. Are you ready to be frugal for your dream? Or is that fancy chair a must? 🤔 #FounderMode #Frugality #Entrepreneurship #StartupLife #GrowthMindset #Leadership #EricSchmidt #SacrificeForSuccess #StartupGrind #BusinessWisdom #DreamBig⬤