Munjal Vaidya’s Post

I was talking to a GP recently, and they said something that stuck with me but I don't agree with... “Sometimes the smartest move is knowing when to end the start-up and return money to investors.” And they’re right—there’s an art to recognizing when something isn’t working. But here’s what I see far too often: founders pulling the plug too soon. We celebrate grit as the best quality in startups—because, let’s be honest, it’s often what separates success stories from forgotten ideas. But somewhere along the way, grit has started to feel optional. Here’s the thing... Some of the best companies out there weren’t overnight successes. They survived because their founders refused to quit when everyone else thought they should: - Airbnb couldn’t get traction until they pivoted from renting air mattresses. - Shopify started as an online snowboard shop before becoming an e-commerce powerhouse. - Slack was born out of a failed gaming company. What if those founders had walked away at the first sign of trouble? I get it. Startups are hard. The market feels brutal right now. But I think sometimes founders mistake temporary setbacks for permanent failure. You didn’t hit your growth targets this quarter? Fix the funnel. Product adoption is slow? Talk to your users—there’s a gap somewhere. Your team’s morale is low? Step up as a leader. Here’s where founders need to ask themselves: - Are we facing a real structural problem, or is this just a moment of pain? - Have we exhausted all options—pivoting, iterating, or talking to customers—before calling it quits? - Am I giving up because it’s the smart move, or because it’s the easy one? Founders: Persistence is a skill you have to sharpen. Not every idea is going to work, but before you walk away, make damn sure you’ve truly done the work to fix it. Because the next version of your idea might be the one that takes off. The line between grit and stubbornness is thin. But the line between quitting and giving up too easy? That’s where most people lose. Stay in the game long enough to learn, pivot, and fight for what you’re building. #startups #founders #venturecapital

𝗩𝗖 𝗙𝗢𝗠𝗢: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗽 Turns out, even the sharpest investors sometimes say "No" to future unicorns. Startups like Airbnb, Uber, and Dropbox were once dismissed as "too risky" or "not scalable," but today, they stand as iconic brands that reshaped industries. Imagine the impact if those early investors had believed in them! For founders and investors alike, these stories are powerful reminders: vision and persistence can outshine any initial rejection. 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹. 👉 Want to learn from the biggest VC missteps and avoid making the same mistakes? Dive into these stories serve as a reminder: sometimes, the ideas that seem the "craziest" are exactly what the world is waiting for 🚀 A big shoutout to Rubén D. and Joseph Jordan for putting together this compelling list! #StartupSuccess #VCRegrets #EntrepreneurMindset

Even the smartest, most capable people can make wrong decisions. Who are we to judge? A decision that seemed right at one time may not hold up later—that’s just how life unfolds. Rather than carrying the heavy burden of trying to make decisions that will ‘always’ be proven right in the future, focus on making decisions that give you peace of mind ‘today.’ What matters is knowing you’ve done your best with the information you have right now. Fear of making the wrong choice can often paralyze us into making no choice at all. But remember, indecision is its own decision—and often the least productive one. If now isn’t the right time, then choose ‘Not Now’. But take a stand. Move forward with a decision, and don’t let fear keep you stuck in place. #DecisionMaking #Leadership #GrowthMindset #FearOfFailure #ProgressNotPerfection #SmartChoices #PeaceOfMind #TakeAction #OwnYourChoices #BusinessMindset #CourageToDecide #ClarityInAction #StrategicThinking

#1. Entrepreneurship and new venture Your goal as a startup is to make something users love. If you do that, then you have to figure out how to get a lot more users. But this first part is critical—think about the really successful companies of today. [Dropbox, Airbnb, Slack ] They all started with a product that their early users loved so much that they told other people about it. If you fail to do this, you will fail. If you deceive yourself and think your users love your product when they don’t, you will still fail. * Dropbox: Gained initial users by offering a seamless file-sharing experience, leading users to share it with friends. *Airbnb: Early adopters loved the ability to stay in unique places at affordable prices, prompting them to recommend it to others. *Slack: Early users praised its simplicity and effectiveness in communication, leading to viral growth within teams. These companies focused on delighting their first users, which was key to their success. #entrepreneurship #newventurecreation #startuplessons

🎉 2024: A Year of Bold Choices and Unforgettable Lessons This year has been unlike any other for me. I quit a stable, decent job to dive into the thrilling, uncertain journey of building my own startup, LesGo. It has been a rollercoaster ride of wins, losses, and invaluable learnings. Today, I want to reflect on some milestones we achieved and the challenges that shaped us: 🏆 Wins 1️⃣ We’re Operational and Public Taking LesGo from idea to reality and getting it live in the market has been an incredible journey. After hosting countless entrepreneur meetups, I truly understand how tough this milestone is to achieve. 2️⃣ Making Our Mark Despite operating in a highly competitive landscape, we’ve crossed ₹10L in transactions and sold over 1L event tickets—each a testament to our growing impact. 3️⃣ Live in 30+ Restaurants From cozy cafes to high-end restaurants, LesGo is now present in 30+ establishments, helping them reward loyalty and build meaningful customer connections. 4️⃣ People Believe in Us Securing advisors and early believers who bet on us (and paid us!) has been a huge validation of our vision and potential. 5️⃣ Revenue Generation We’ve finally started generating revenue by closing key deals. It’s a massive step forward and a morale booster for the entire team. 📉 Lows 1️⃣ High-Impact Team Exits Losing key people at critical junctures has been a tough blow, leaving us scrambling to recover and recalibrate. 2️⃣ Being Ghosted From sales prospects to potential investors, getting ghosted at various stages has been disheartening and a harsh reality of the entrepreneurial journey. 3️⃣ Slow Product Deployment Delays in product launches have significantly hurt our momentum, morale, and resources. It’s been a tough lesson in balancing ambition with execution. 🌟 Takeaways This year has taught me resilience, the value of persistence, and the importance of celebrating every small win. Building something from scratch is messy and unpredictable, but the joy of progress—no matter how small—makes it all worthwhile. To everyone out there chasing their dreams: it’s not easy, but it’s worth it. Here’s to a new year of learning, growing, and making an even bigger mark! #Entrepreneurship #StartupJourney #LessonsLearned #LesGo #WinsAndLosses #wrapup

🎯 True Story: Yesterday, I caught myself getting too serious while reviewing a founder's pitch deck. Then I remembered my self-appointed role as Chief Fun Officer in our startup ecosystem. Want to know the secret sauce of successful founders? They know how to keep it fun! 🚀 Here are 5 ways smart founders inject more joy into their startup journey: 🔹Celebrate Small Wins 🎉 Every customer call, every line of code, every small milestone matters! 🔹Schedule "Play-Meetings" 🎮 Replace one serious meeting/week with a creative brainstorming session 🔹Create Funny KPIs 📈 Track things like "High-Fives Given" or "Spontaneous Dance Moves" 🔹Build Team Traditions 🌟 Try "Failure Friday" - sharing lessons learned over pizza 🔹Remember Your "Why" 💫 Your passion brought you here - let it shine! Remember: A happy team = happy customers = happy investors What's your favorite way to keep the startup journey fun? Share below! 👇 #StartupLife #EntrepreneurshipJourney #StartupCulture #VentureCapital #StartupCommunity #Innovation #LeadershipLessons #StartupFounder #BusinessGrowth #CompanyCulture

If you’ve got multiple co-founders, Here’s the secret sauce to success. 🫢 No, it’s not more funding. It’s something way more fundamental. Let’s talk about Founder Agreements (aka the Pre-Nup of the startup world). 😉 I know, I know. It sounds tedious. But hear me out. Here’s my step-by-step guide for a foolproof Founder Agreement: 📍Define each co-founder's roles and responsibilities. 📍Set an equity split that reflects each person's contributions. 📍Establish a vesting schedule to incentivize long-term commitment. 📍Include decision-making protocols to avoid deadlock situations. 📍Plan for exits—because breakups happen, even in business. Most founders jump straight into the grind, Ignoring the legal foundation. But without this, you’re building a house on quicksand. A solid Founder Agreement protects your startup's vision, prevents internal drama, and keeps everyone aligned toward scaling. Remember that time you launched a group project and things got chaotic? Now, multiply that by a million Startups are even messier. The point is, don’t just dream big. Prepare big. Get your paperwork in order, so your only focus is growth. I am curious: How many co-founders does your startup have? Drop a comment below. P.S. If you’re still debating who gets what percentage, it’s time to have the hard conversation. Trust me.

🚀 Weekends aren’t a break for startup founders—they’re a battleground! 💼 While offices shut down, the hustle doesn’t stop for us. No off days, no downtime. Like soldiers on a mission, we fight through the challenges and frustrations, constantly innovating, strategizing, and chasing every opportunity. 🌱 Success doesn’t wait, and neither do we. It’s not about working harder—it’s about staying relentless even when the world slows down. 🔥 #StartupWarriors #NoDaysOff #WeekendGrind #EntrepreneurLife #HustleMode #FounderFocus #KeepPushing #ResilienceMatters

We've all got those big ideas that could become the next big startup. But taking that first step? You might be thinking, "Where do I even start?". There's no perfect path. Every founder's journey is unique. What really matters is having the guts to start. As Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn's co-founder, put it: "If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late." Don't wait for everything to be perfect. Don't stress about getting all the details right. The magic happens when you take action and put your idea out there. ✅ Start talking to potential customers and partners. ✅ Build a simple MVP to test your ideas. ✅ Create a solid business plan and get support. It won't be easy. There will be setbacks and tough lessons. But that's how you learn and grow. Each failure gets you closer to finding the right product-market fit. The only way to succeed is to start.

What is it like to be a startup founder? (I got a bit emotional writing this 😅 ) It is challenging. Truly challenging. At some point, every founder thinks about giving up due to tough and disappointing days. But what really keeps you going? (at least me) It’s the people you work with. Your co-founder, your team. They're all in it with you, and seeing them not giving up makes you hang in there too. Even when you're drained from endless meetings, hear "no" from investors, or running out of money, these are just the hurdles we founders need to cross. Because the best part isn’t about making money or becoming famous: It’s about seeing people actually use what you’ve built. At the end of a long day, nothing feels better than watching how your creation has made a real difference. As your startup grows or even gets acquired later, you’ll realize you've grown a lot yourself. You’ll end up better than you ever thought you could be. You’ll have friends and memories to cherish forever, even if life takes you all in different directions. And the memory that will stick with you the longest is the look on people’s faces when they enjoy your product. So don’t miss out on starting your own thing. It will change your life in ways you can't imagine. Go build something amazing. And love every minute of it. 😊 #startuplife #founders #earlystagestartups #motivation #teamwork #founderstory