I Was Asked to Speak at a Conference About My Startup Journey. Here’s What I Really Wanted to Say.
A few weeks ago, I got an email asking if I’d speak at a conference about my journey as a startup founder.
At first, I laughed. Not because I wasn’t grateful, I was, but because I saw I’d be speaking at the same event as the founder of Deel, a multi-billion dollar company. Meanwhile, I’m someone who’s had my fair share of startup ideas that didn’t quite take off but each one taught me something that got me closer to the one that did.
It felt like being asked to run a relay with Usain Bolt because I jog sometimes.
See, I’ve started a lot of ideas. Most of them didn’t work.
But looking back, 100% of the time the real issue wasn’t the idea it was that I didn’t stick with it long enough. I gave up too soon. I moved on before the app ever saw the light of day, or just after the first few customers came in.
What I’ve learned since is simple: success doesn’t come from starting more things it comes from pushing through. Every failure taught me something I couldn’t have learned any other way. How to build faster. How to listen better. How to let go of my ego. But most of all, how to keep going when things get tough.
Each crash left a scar, but also a clue.
They weren’t wasted time. They were tuition.
But one of them didn’t fail. Per Diem the company I run today is profitable. Over 1,000 stores use it to power their mobile ordering and booking experiences. We’re growing fast, and it’s real.
So maybe that is worth talking about.
But instead of giving the usual polished startup story with hockey-stick graphs and buzzwords, I want to share the four things I wish someone had told me earlier especially if you’re just starting out.
1. Stop listening to everyone except your customers
Most early-stage founders spend way more time listening to advisors, investors, podcasts, and random Twitter threads than they do talking to the people they’re actually building for.
I did this too. I once spent six months building a product that no one asked for. You know how long it took me to realize that? One short call with a coffee shop owner. That’s it. Boom. Done.
The truth is: Your customers know more about your business than your pitch deck ever will.
If you’re not talking to them every week, you’re flying blind. Don’t guess. Ask.
2. Don’t stop. Start. And keep going.
The biggest difference between the ideas that failed and the one that didn’t?
We didn’t give up this time.
Per Diem wasn’t our first idea. It wasn’t even the flashiest. But it got early traction a few stores started using it and instead of second-guessing or chasing the next shiny thing, we doubled down.
We kept building. We kept listening. We kept improving. Not with some big master plan, just small steps, every week.
There’s this myth that great startups are born from genius. That someone wakes up with a billion-dollar idea.
But the truth is, most successful startups aren’t lightning strikes they’re slow burns.
They’re built by people who keep showing up after the initial excitement fades.
Start. Learn. Adjust. Repeat. That’s the whole game.
3. It’s all about doing the work
No hack. No shortcut. No clever growth trick.
Just showing up every day and doing the actual work.
We didn’t launch Per Diem with some 30-person team or a huge marketing budget. We started small. We rolled up our sleeves. We did manual things before we automated them. I still reply to customer support emails.
There’s something powerful about staying close to the work. It’s humbling. And it’s where the truth lives.
4. More money isn’t the solution
I’ve seen startups raise $10M and crash. I’ve seen others raise $0 and win.
Why? Because money doesn’t fix a broken idea.
In fact, sometimes having too much money early on makes you lazy. You try to buy your way through problems instead of solving them.
We built Per Diem lean. We focused on making money, not raising it. And that discipline helped us find what worked — fast.
If you’re waiting for funding before launching your product… that’s a red flag. You’re not short on cash. You’re short on commitment.
So… what would I say at that conference?
I’d say this:
Don’t wait for a great idea. Just solve a real problem.
Don’t try to impress investors. Impress your customers.
Don’t chase funding. Chase momentum.
And don’t quit. The market only needs to say “yes” one time.
Thanks for reading. If you’re building something keep going. Your Per Diem might be next.
Also, feel free to check out what we’re building. I’d love to hear what you think: 👉 tryperdiem.com
