Glenn Miseroy’s Post

I failed in my 10k dollars goal... It's been 7 months since I planned to make 10k dollars. I said we would achieve it in 75 days, but even after 7 months, I could only make exactly 2345 dollars. Here are the mistakes I made, and I hope you don’t repeat the same: 1. Staying inconsistent and not having faith in the process. 2. Expecting results in a very short time. 3. There is no perfect start. We just start and pivot later. 4. Lack of proper communication between co-founders. 5. Create momentum; money will follow. I'm not going to set another 10000-dollar goal because what I have realized is that money is just a byproduct of the value we provide. We should focus on providing real value that makes an impact in clients' lives. The startup journey is not only filled with success stories. Even after bankruptcy, many founders have made a comeback. It’s all about winning or learning. If you feel this has added value to your life, please share it with your friends. NEW START? follow me for more updates ;)

Alright founders, we know the drill: You've got the vision, the passion, and the product. But now comes the hard part—convincing investors to share that vision and open up their wallets. So, what do they really want to see in a pitch deck? Here’s the lowdown (with a dash of wit and real examples): 1️⃣ A Problem That’s Begging to Be Solved Investors aren’t just looking for a product; they’re looking for a solution. Can you clearly define the pain point? Think about Airbnb—a simple idea born from the problem of unaffordable hotel rooms. If you can show how your solution changes the game, you're off to a great start! 2️⃣ A Market They Can’t Ignore They need to see the potential. Is your market big enough to scale? Investors want to know that there’s a growing market and that your product can capture a healthy slice of it. For example, when Uber pitched, it wasn’t just about rides—it was about revolutionizing the entire transportation industry. 3️⃣ Traction That Speaks Volumes Nothing says "we’re onto something" like traction. Whether it’s user growth, partnerships, or revenue, show them your progress. When Dropbox first presented, their viral growth was their crown jewel. Show proof that you’re not just a good idea—you’re a great business! 4️⃣ A Rockstar Team Investors invest in people, not just ideas. Highlight your team’s experience and why you’re the perfect crew to lead this venture. As they say, “It’s the jockey, not the horse.” 5️⃣ The Ask (Don’t Forget This Part!) Don’t shy away from it. Be clear on how much you’re raising, where it will go, and how it will take your startup to the next level. And please, please, make sure your math adds up! In short, investors are looking for clarity, potential, and proof. Get these right, and you’ll have them leaning in for more! Does any pitch deck win (or fail) to share? Drop them in the comments—We’d love to hear your stories! And if you want to get your investor worthy pitch deck ready, dm us now #financialservices #onelfs

Early-stage founders: What’s holding you back as you wrap up 2024? Let’s tackle the chaos together. 🎯 You’re conditioned to think hustle solves everything. But here’s the truth: you can’t scale a business by doing it all yourself. With January around the corner, now’s the time to focus on what really matters for your startup. I see founders burning energy on tasks that don’t move the needle, while overlooking areas that drive real growth. Here are 5 critical areas to focus on before the year ends: 1️⃣ Tighten up workflows now to save time and sanity later. 2️⃣ Spot churn patterns and maximize your best channels. 3️⃣ Focus your team where it matters—or get help to find gaps. 4️⃣ Clear KPIs = better decisions. 5️⃣ Lay the groundwork for 2025’s growth today. This is exactly the work I love helping founders navigate. You don’t have to do it all alone—or worse, spin your wheels doing the wrong things. 👉 Watch the video above to dive deeper. And if any of this resonates, head here to signup for my Ugly Seedling newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gRazWZPZ Let me know in the comments—what’s your biggest priority as you plan for 2025?

There's a new generation of founders emerging. And they aren’t chasing VC capital and getting handcuffed to investors. Instead, they’re taking matters into their own hands by building profitable service businesses. They’re growing these businesses rapidly by borrowing strategies straight from the tech playbook. I built my career working inside venture-backed startups, so I get the allure. But over time, the luster fades: - You start answering to the money - The vision gets blurred - Your ownership dwindles Most founders I know are sick of the VC circus. They want to get back to building great businesses on expertise and hustle. Not PowerPoint decks. 

It’s been a few weeks since beginning work on the startup, and turns out this stuff is hard - I know, crazy right? I've been hustling to get up to speed in the industry, conducting user interviews, business planning, the whole nine yards. But we've come to realize a central problem in our approach: poor founder-market fit. When we started this as a side project, it was much more consumer-focused and it was an actual problem we as founders had. We had to pivot several times since then, which put us in a space we did not understand nearly as well, and often that means we are simply not the right people to solve it. The good news: we're a resilient team, and we knew going into this that it would be a learning experience with bumps. We've refined our strategy and we're making a pivot into a problem space we *know* inside and out. This will lead to faster product design, stronger connections, and much higher confidence in our solution. Super excited about this pivot, so stay tuned for further updates as we validate our new idea!

Three Phrases Founders Need to Hear 💡 "No software company should raise a pre-seed." (Controversial but true for some) 💡 "A lifestyle business is thrown around like a derogatory term as if you are not a legitimate founder because you didn't take on funding." (Let's change this narrative) 💡 "The Mighty Middle" - A newly coined term for founders who are aggressively building, reaching profitability, and creating sustainable businesses without institutional capital. (Join the revolution) As an early-stage company (Openroom HQ), we're experimenting every single day to see what sticks and what doesn't. It doesn't make you less of a Founder just because you didn't take capital. The mindset of "go raise capital" and "growth at all costs" is starting to shift. It's not that founders need reassurance to continue building and solving hard problems. We will continue regardless! But, it definitely helps when people who have done it, seen it, and believe it too. It might be controversial but I loved this morning's debriefing. Thank you to Cherry Rose Tan, MBA, MA, Moshe Mikanovsky, Brice Scheschuk, CPA, CA and Schulich School of Business - York University's Schulich Startups for a memorable mentorship quarter and helping me see a better future of building my own company. ---- Repost this for your network ♻️ P.S. What's the most controversial advice you've heard recently?

Start-up Founders: Here’s Why You Need a Mentor or Online CFO We’ve all heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a startup.” But how often do we think about who should be in that village? One key role many founders overlook is having a mentor or an online CFO. This guidance can turn growth from gradual to exponential. Here’s why: 👉 Cutting through the noise Mentors can give you clarity when you’re overwhelmed by options. Take Airbnb , for example. Early in their journey, they struggled to gain traction. It wasn’t until they started getting advice from startup accelerator Y Combinator that they refined their strategy and found their niche, which skyrocketed their growth. 👉 Financial foresight An online CFO does more than crunch numbers—they bring a strategic eye to help founders think three steps ahead. Take Stripe early days, where they relied on sound financial mentorship. It allowed them to navigate growth without losing sight of long-term profitability. You can’t build the future without a solid financial foundation. Whether you're bootstrapping or VC-backed, don’t underestimate the impact of having someone in your corner who’s been there before. Sometimes, all it takes is the right insight at the right time. #mentor #tuesday #business #airbnb #stripes

6 Years of Follow-Ups, Patience, and Belief — Now We're Partnering with a Million-Dollar Company! For the last 6 years, I’ve followed up with a client without missing a beat. Back then, they were a startup with big dreams, and I knew deep down they had the potential to make it. I noticed a crucial issue right away: their lack of automation. Their team was buried in repetitive tasks, struggling to manage staff across multiple locations. I believed in them when they were just getting started, and yesterday, that belief paid off. The founder called me to discuss how we can tackle their operational challenges. And today? They’ve grown into a million-dollar company. That call was more than just business—it was a validation of persistence, patience, and trust. The best part? I get to help them build something even stronger now. Here's to long-term vision, the value of staying in touch, and the magic that happens when everything aligns. Has anyone else had a similar journey of long-term follow-ups leading to a breakthrough? I'd love to hear your story!

I used to scoff whenever a founder had “Stealth” on their profile. I mean, what jokers right? My thoughts were: Do they really think what they are working on is going to be stolen? Are they working on something that “cool” that they can’t tell anyone about it? Now, obviously you can see that I have “Stealth” written on my profile. But there are key reasons as to why this is the case now as opposed to the first time I started a company 👇 1️⃣ I get a LOT of VC reachouts. I know, world’s tiniest violin right? But the reality is: it’s incredibly distracting to building a business. The privilege I have of being a 2nd time founder makes it so I already know the people I’d like to partner with ahead of time; not necessary for me to do cold inbound convos. “Stealth” shields me from a lot of back and forth. 2️⃣We don’t need to launch for sales…at least right now. We’ve already reached $XX of ARR without needing a website. The “constantly launch” ethos of YC is true…but more true for those who struggle getting their product out to the world. 3️⃣My standards have changed for launching publicly. As much as possible, I want a great experience for those who land on our website. We won’t get it perfect, but we want to get to a point where our product is stable enough to handle the inflow of people who land on the site and can self serve their way through. 4️⃣ There are a LOT of hype builders out their with amazing marketing videos. YC is churning those startups out like a factory. That’s great, but does their product actually work? When publicly launching, we want to make sure things actually work to get to that first “aha!” moment. 5️⃣ I’m not exactly “hiding” what we are building. If you ask me individually, I’ll tell you. Feel free to DM me if you’re a CEO or a Head of Finance/Revops that’s struggling with ARR reporting or getting data from your systems, more than happy to give you an early look!!

Many people working in tech dream of starting their own companies one day. It's well known that launching a startup is hard, requires enormous effort, and isn’t for everyone. What rarely gets discussed and considered is the financial impact of a decision to become a founder. That creates significant stress and pressure for first-time founders and their families if they start without proper estimates and preparation. A few facts:  ✅ The median time to raise a seed round is 1.5 years, which often means going 1–2 years without income. ✅ 90% of venture-backed companies fail within 2–5 years, resulting in a high likelihood of a weak exit. Consider John, a new L3 engineer at a big tech company with a current net worth of $100K and salary $200K/year. By the time of his early retirement in 2046, if he simply stays at his tech job and grows his career, his projected net worth will be $7.2M. If he starts a VC-backed company in 2030 and fails five years later (which has a 90% probability), his net worth will drop from $7.2M  to $4.6M in 2046. The $2.6M difference in net worth by 2046 represents the financial cost for John of deciding to start a company.