The Only Rule for Startup Success in 2024: Persistence

Hey Reader, Three Rules for StartUp Founders to Follow In 2024 (1) Don't quit. (2) Earn The Right. (3) See Number One. - Simple. Right? Sometimes, you can't tell the difference between the market getting easier and you just becoming a better founder. Mastery often looks like a gentler world. Don't Quit: 2023 was a shitshow. The rules changed for just about everything, from fundraising to AI's impact, layoffs, customer spend, and an all-around down cycle. Early indications are starting to show an upswing. It doesn't mean that crazy valuations and vision money will come rushing back. Rather, the purse strings of customers and investors might just loosen a bit. So, stay in the game, stay sharp, and start thinking about how you might recalibrate your strategy as you head into Q1, rethinking both your business model canvas and value stream. Earn The Right: 2024 is about consistently earning the right. The right to be a trusted advisor to your customers, the right to launch, the right to charge, the right to retain, the right to hire, the right to everything. If you set the understanding of what it means to earn the right at every stage before you start, it sets a very clear gate, a framework for accountability. Earn the right, don't just hope for it. See Number One: More than any other data point around StartUp Founders is how, through every adversity, they find a way, a way to stay alive, to make payroll, whatever it is, they just find a way. And if you are buying into the "you have to have a co-founder" conversation, then just remember Mo'Founders, Mo'Problems. Wishing you and yours a restful holiday season, a chance to recognize the milestones, and think, and think, and think, and think, and then prepare for the year ahead. Thank you for being a reader throughout 2023. I hope my insights have been valuable, even if some topics might have felt a bit extensive at times. A huge thanks to the thousands of you who pinged me a note and shared your story. It works. I introduced two founders working on a similar problem, they are now co-founders. Since launching my personal Angel Fund, I've had the privilege of investing in four innovative startups. In 2024, I look forward to supporting even more. Congrats on duct-taping your way to success one challenge at a time and letting me be a small part of your journey. As always, you are welcome to grab time with me. -- James