What has been the hardest part of building your startup that no one warned you about?
I’m the founder of Loyalty Untapped, a startup focused on helping restaurant and hospitality brands create loyalty experiences that drive more meaningful repeat behavior—not just more discounts.
Like most founders, I expected challenges: limited time, competing priorities, proving the value of a new approach, and wearing far too many hats.
What I did not fully anticipate was how often the hardest part would be deciding what not to do.
There are always more ideas than hours: new features, content, outreach, partnerships, customer conversations, refining the offer, improving the website, and trying to stay focused on the problem you set out to solve.
For other early-stage founders:
- What has been your most difficult startup challenge so far?
- Was it finding customers, refining your positioning, funding, building the product, or staying focused?
- What is one lesson you wish you had understood earlier?
I’d genuinely appreciate hearing what has helped you push through the messy middle.