"What am I doing wrong? - is my daily, as shitty as it sounds, mantra to myself...

30M, in the UK here, been out of the corporate word for around 6 years. Worked at one start up NFT company which was pretty cool, lasted around 2/3 years before running out of cashflow. And now I've co-founded (literally pretty much in inception and ideation phase) with my current nature/biodiversity tech start-up for the past 3 years.

My background is in fashion buying, so I don't have direct experience in the space I'm in but one of my co-founders has got years in the space of ESG and advisory for companies and government, my other co-founder is a monster (in the best of senses), he's had a successful business years ago, and has done deals in the energy sector and now both of them are co-founding this with me. P.S. they're alot older than my self and alot more knowledgeable, they're a bloody great team.

I started this pursuit out on the whim. I love nature (I know that isn't the best or valid reason to pursue a start up) and my co-founder proposed this problem in the space for businesses not understanding how they depend on nature (some need to know because of laws/regs/legislation and some genuinely want to have more sustainable and nature-uplifting operations). So then we embarked. We started the idea ages ago for it to be a B2C app (allow people to plant trees, offset, take pictures of restoration projects around them, the citizen science bit of it) but we then pivoted to a B2B offering, more aligned to what I've expressed above, we got some angel investment a year and a half ago and thought okay, let's hire some tech people (as we're decent vibe coders but we wanted to build something better) but we essentially went through trial by fire, all of the tech companies didn't align with us, we didn't get what we wanted and it was just a waste of time, we also tried to hire out a BDM to see if that person could be the person to go out to market to get corporates on-board with the vision, basically being the person that obtains our "problem-market fit" through corporate conversations + potential contract LOI to say "if you get this product developed", we'll pay for it - that was unsuccessful too. So, we're now at this point where there's 3 of us, we've built a rough low-code prototype using open-source datasets from environmental sources (WWF etc). It’s not perfect or fully polished but shows the direction of travel. We’ve also had a corporate say they would use the platform, so it’s not like there is zero validation.

But if I'm honest, it hasn’t really caught on in the way we hoped.

Investor traction has been hard. The feedback/sentiment we keep coming up against is whether we're the right team to build this especially because our backgrounds aren’t deeply scientific or environmental (it's rather implied than mentioned directly). They feel they already have something aligned to this in their portfolio, too early etc etc...

The angel money is now depleted.

And my personal finances are at the edge. I’m down to the last few hundred pounds, rent and bills are due, and for the past few months I’ve had to borrow money from family to keep going. My co-founders are supportive and still believe in what we’re doing but they’re also under pressure (I won’t speak on their personal situation but they’re sitting comfortably either.)

And I'm totally burnt out (I feel like I've ran a marathon constantly)... I feel like I’ve been trying to keep the thing alive through sheer hope and the idea that maybe one more conversation, one more investor, one more bit of feedback, one more serendipitous moment might make it click.

But I’m at the point where I’m constantly stressed, my mood is all over the place and I don’t feel like myself. I’ve always been driven, positive and pragmatic. This is probably the first time in my life where I genuinely feel like I don’t know what the next right move is.

I’ve been thinking about getting a part-time job or potentially approaching fashion tech startups as its closer to my background so maybe there’s a way to contribute to an early-stage company in that space (that's even if I'm able to find a job...)

But I’m worried that taking a job means I’m giving up.

I’m also worried that if I take a job, I’ll lose the focus needed to build this company. But equally, if I don’t take a job, I’m not sure how much longer I can keep operating like this. I'm confused. Like really confused. And talk to this at this stage of the company. We haven't even passed the start line even by the grace of nature we get some investment. We still need to build out the entire platform build up the business keep going with it and I genuinely don't feel I have the passion or strength for it. I'm not sure if it's my burnout talking right now or if it's a genuinely me not feeling attached to the start-up.

P.S I live in a small town, so opportunities are basically 0 here to align with startups in the area, so I'll have to look at bigger cities to see what's going on there.

I’d appreciate honest advice, words of encouragement or any likeness to the journey. It doesn’t need to be sugar-coated but I could also do with some realism.

I’m trying to make the most practical decision...

Basic idea: homeowners who travel a lot or have second homes need someone reliable to check on their property while they're away. Weekly visits, checking for leaks, storm damage, making sure everything looks lived in, that kind of thing. Insurance actually often requires this kind of documented visit for vacant homes, so there's a built in reason people need it, not just a nice to have.

Couple things I'm still figuring out. Pricing is completely open right now, I haven't locked anything in and want to see what the market will actually bear before committing to a number. Also thinking through whether to offer extras like starting cars periodically or grocery stocking before someone gets back, versus keeping it a tight simple service.

Has anyone here used a service like this, hired one, or thought about starting one? What would make you trust a new company with your house for months at a time? And is this actually a business people will pay real money for, or is it a nice idea that falls apart once you look closely?

Whether it was a grant, accelerator, competition, scholarship or hackathon.

Have you ever found something amazing only to realize applications had already closed?

I'd love to hear your stories.

It’s not having a good idea.

It’s not being self motivated.

It’s not being action oriented.

It’s not knowing your product.

All of those are importantly obviously, but none of them matter without:

UNDERSTANDING THE NUMBERS (Basic Accounting)

Without that, you can build the train and you can even get it moving, but the tracks are headed off a cliff and you would have been better off never boarding in the first place.

You don’t need to be a CPA but you do need to understand P&L Statements, Balance Sheets, Forecasting, and basic tax rules AND WHAT THOSE NUMBERS MEAN.

Otherwise how else are you going to know if you’re truly making money? How much more debt you can take? What you need to do to get your business eligible for financing? How fast you can scale? How many more people can you hire?….you can’t.

I’m exploring an idea and want honest feedback before I spend time building it.

The problem I’m trying to solve

A lot of people aren’t failing because they don’t have a task manager. They’re failing because their time allocation doesn’t match their actual priorities.

For example, someone may say:

• family is their top priority
• they want to spend more time with parents / spouse / kids
• health matters a lot
• they don’t want to regret postponing important relationships or personal goals

…but in reality their weeks get swallowed by work, logistics, fatigue, and whatever is most urgent.

So the problem is less “I need a better todo app” and more:

“I know what matters to me, but my actual life keeps drifting away from it.”

The product idea

I’m thinking of building an app called Priority that acts more like an AI life-prioritization engine than a productivity app.

The app would ask users about:

• their life stage and schedule
• what matters most right now (family, health, money, growth, etc.)
• important relationships
• what they feel they’re neglecting
• what they don’t want to regret in 5–10 years
• current habits / time allocation

Then it would do 3 things:

1) Show the mismatch between values and reality

Examples:

• “You say health is a top 3 priority, but only ~1 hour/week is invested in it.”
• “You say family matters most, but you haven’t called your parents in 3 weeks.”
• “You want to be present with your kids, but your weekends are mostly getting consumed elsewhere.”

2) Turn that into weekly/daily missions

Instead of generic tasks, it would suggest actions like:

• schedule a parent call
• plan a hometown visit
• book a health checkup
• create a recurring family ritual
• block time for one neglected relationship
• weekly money review
• one “meaningful action” per day

3) Add emotional clarity / finite-opportunity framing

Not in a manipulative way, but in a concrete way.

For example:

• estimated number of visits with parents over the next few years if current patterns continue
• how many weekends / bedtime routines / family rituals you might realistically still have in a certain life stage
• “you still have time to change this” type nudges

My concern

I can see two opposite outcomes:

Outcome A: this becomes a genuinely useful “life operating system” that helps people align time with values.

Outcome B: it sounds emotionally powerful for 5 minutes, but in practice it becomes another app people stop using after a week.

What I want feedback on

I’d love founder/product feedback on these questions:

1. Is this a real enough pain point to build around, or is it too abstract/emotional to become a product people stick with?
2. What wedge would make this sticky?
   • daily missions
   • weekly life review
   • relationship reminders
   • health + family accountability
   • gamification / streaks
   • AI coaching
3. Does this sound like a consumer subscription product, or more like something people would like in theory but never pay for?
4. If you were validating this, what would you test first before building the full app?

If you think it’s a bad idea, I’d genuinely prefer to hear that directly.

I am building a fitness accountability product, and this week the thing on my mind is distribution.

The product can have the right incentives. People can challenge friends. There can be proof, stakes, and a reason to keep showing up.

But none of that matters if the right people never see it.

I am trying to treat content like testing instead of performance: small angles, honest posts, watching what gets a real response, and then doubling down.

For early SaaS founders, how did you know which distribution channel was worth taking seriously?

Fore warning I'm going to be as transparent as possible.

Context: I'm 23 yo with a 22 month old daughter. I'm a single father with split custody still living with my Grandmother. I have 5 months to build my mobile detailing business enough to pay bills before I will be joining the workforce again. With the boohoo stuff aside you can imagine how i feel as a father still living with my Grandmother.

I have been reaching out to multiple businesses to gain both referrals and connections. On other days I go out to "farm" at high-end malls and shopping centers near me. I struggle some days with simply getting out of the car on those farm days. I feel/ and feel like I look stupid walking up to people when I barely get bookings. I am genuinely broke. I believe in my vision for my business but do not feel like I'm making significant progress due to my cash flow currently.

My questions are, of you that are very successful, how did you get over the hump of feeling like an idiot every single day?
What is a mentality shift I need to have to feel successful without the success in front of me?
Most importantly how do you remember this every single day?

I have the motivation to make things happen, simultaneously I find it hard to get out of the car and face no's for 4 hours & still have no money on these farming days. I love talking to businesses. It makes me feel as if I'm making genuine progress, the farming days feel like I'm a begger desperate for cash.

I know this is truly my only opportunity at the moment to set both myself and my child up for success in the future yet my mental in the moment is pure embarassment. I think people know that when they talk to me.

What can I do or change? I know my position is so much easier compared to others which makes it that much more embarrasing when I don't get over the hump.

I appreciate any advice amidst your busy days, it will genuinely mean more than you know for any words of advice.

For the longest time, I’ve just bought digital products and not really always done something with them. I used to buy from those sites, I’m not sure I can name them here, but the ones where people release a product, you pay next to nothing for it and hope that someday you actually do something with it.

Then I started going wild trying every different AI tool there was when all that kicked off, and I had some very small success in the beginning with things like A1111. I even managed to get one of my designs printed onto a business uniform for a company in London.

Which then gave me the toxic trait of thinking I was smart enough to build my own apps and websites. I’d used WordPress for many years before, but I never knew how to code.

I’ve been slightly obsessing over that for a while, and I’ve built a few things, but this is where the holding thought comes in. I feel like what I’m doing right now is just building apps for the sake of it, just to say I’ve done it. To build something from an idea through to something that exists, and then not really know what to do with it afterwards.

But somehow I feel okay with that, knowing I’ve got something, even though I’m not really marketing it. It’s an odd thought and feeling, but I wanted to know if other people felt the same. And if you do, did you ever change it? If you did, how?

I find it very difficult to stick to one thing, and I know that’s been my problem my whole life, I’ve set up businesses and innovated my way through life and I’m sure it’s partly my ADHD, but I need to find a way to stop just building products and actually start pushing them to see what could come of it.

Not sure if this is the right sub but figured i'd share since it might help someone

spent a good chunk of this year "unemployed" on paper, but really i was home every day building out a side business, training a small team of sales reps on how to actually close deals, writing call scripts, handling objections, the whole thing. problem is that kind of business takes months to actually start generating income, so on paper it looked like i was doing nothing, and in my head some days it felt like it too.

on top of that i was going through it personally too. met someone, got attached fast the way you do when everything else in your life feels uncertain, and it ended up not working out. she made it clear she didn't want it to go anywhere and i had to just accept that and let it go. not gonna lie, that one stung more than the job stuff for a while.

i'm self taught, never went to uni, came up through sales. so when the "real job" search got quiet for a while too, it all hit at once, like maybe grinding on something that wasn't paying off yet was a mistake, even though i knew it wasn't.

turned down a job offer that looked fine on paper because the gut feeling was off. kept building the side thing, kept applying elsewhere too. eventually landed an AR/Collections Accountant role, which wasn't even the path i expected to end up on, but it's steady now.

the thing nobody tells you about that in-between period is how much it messes with your head to be working hard every day on something invisible, while also processing stuff falling apart in your personal life. no paycheck, no title, nobody around you can really see the hours going in. training people, refining scripts, sitting with a business that's still months from making a dollar, and untangling feelings for someone who isn't there anymore. it's all real work even when it doesn't look like it from the outside.

if you're in that phase right now, building something quietly while everyone assumes you're doing nothing, and maybe also nursing something that ended before it really began, it counts. none of it is wasted time just because the results are delayed. say no to the wrong opportunity even when you need a yes. it tends to pay off later.

anyway. that's it. good luck out there

I have to choose between doing expenses this month or paying EMIs. If I pay EMI then my business stops, and if I make expenses then I have to face the recovery process for loan defaults.
What should I do?

Hey everyone,

My name is Martin, I'm a student, and for the past few months, I've been working on a somewhat unique clothing brand project called Voyage Somatique.

I was tired of how "empty" clothes feel nowadays. I wanted to create something that feels like buying a story, not just a piece of fabric.

The concept: I design premium streetwear pieces, but the real difference is invisible. With every order, the customer receives an NFC card (similar in style to a premium credit card). By scanning it with their phone, they unlock a unique digital space linked to the garment they are wearing: behind-the-scenes content of its creation, the emotions that inspired the design, and the story the piece holds.

In short: the garment becomes the key to a full narrative experience.

Why I'm posting here: I'm trying to "build in public" on my socials, but I know the feedback here is completely unfiltered.

• What do you think about blending digital (NFC) and physical clothing to tell a story? Does this resonate with you, or does it just feel like a gimmick?
• What advice would you give to someone launching their very first drop?

I have absolutely nothing to sell yet. The first drop ("Fragments") is still in the works, but all your feedback will massively help me refine my vision.

Thanks in advance for your time!

Instagram: martin.somatique

Hello!

After seeing numerous successful businesses in my city, and seeing firsthand what wasn't there before, what exists now, and what works, I can say a few things with certainty: entrepreneurs are the people who connect supply and demand.

Entrepreneurs don't have a "craft" in the traditional sense.
They are the people who connect those who have a craft, and services to offer (the supply), with those who need those services, people, (the demand).

Take dentistry, for example. If you're a dentist working for a dental practice, the owner probably knows nothing about teeth. Yet they've created the infrastructure that connects people who need dental care with the professionals who have the skills to provide it.

That said, being an entrepreneur isn't the same as having a profession.

While you may be good at identifying problems and figuring out how to solve them, could that also be one of the reasons you never feel as "secure" as people with traditional professions do?

I mean, someone with a specialized skill, let's use the dentist again as an example, will probably feel secure because they know they can always exchange their expertise for a salary/pay. They spent ten years studying to acquire that skill, whereas an entrepreneur may have spent only a month learning how to build the infrastructure around a business.

An entrepreneur, on the other hand, can generate ideas and bring them to life, but they don't necessarily have a profession they can fall back on. What I'm trying to say is... being an entrepreneur it's so cool when things works, but basically, you're really no one when they go so bad, and you hit bottom.

While someone with a craft and a "tiny" bit of entrepreneur skills, it's way ahead.

Do you understand what I mean?

I'd really like to know what you think about this.

I got some talents and a bit of money
Wanna strat a buisness any ideas?

spent years just trying to guess what people wanted, pumping money into ads hoping someone would click. but here, someone just says "i need a thing that does X" and the need is so raw. it completely changed my focus on finding those first customers. where did you guys actually get your first ten?

Ok long story short and with not much personal context as of my current life situation, I will be out of work for about 6 months. Start of next year I’ll be working and maintaining a solid stream of income again.

In the mean time I’ll still have access to a steady amount of money each week during the rest of this year to keep me more than afloat.

Anyway I was wondering what I could do, where could I start? I have always thought of creating something for myself that stems away from a standard job, I am just reluctant on ideas. Like I said, I have plenty of time on my hands over the next 6 months and I can’t just play golf every single day!! Even if this 6 months could turn into something that I can continue to do even while I’m working next year, any ideas are more than appreciated!

year 1 you're running on adrenaline and just trying to survive. year 2 hits and suddenly you're supposed to have systems, a team, a plan. been running a small ecom operation for about two years now and the grind got quieter but heavier. curious if thats a common experience or if i just built wrong?

I've noticed a weird pattern with freelancers and solopreneurs. We'll obsess over productivity hacks and Notion templates, but the second you mention tracking time, people act like it's corporate busywork.

Here's the thing though, I lost about $8k last year because I genuinely forgot what I worked on for certain clients. Not because I'm lazy, but because memory is terrible and I was juggling too much.

Started forcing myself to track everything this year, even built my own tool for it (Tympi) because existing ones felt like overkill or didn't fit how I actually work. Now I can see exactly where my hours go and what I'm actually making per client.

It's not sexy, but it's honest work. Anyone else had to learn this the hard way or am I just bad at this?

Hi guys, I created a Chrome extension that allows users to download any Loom video. I created it because I needed it, as I regularly send and receive Loom recordings. As a solo entrepreneur, it comes very handy when working with other people remotely.

If you too are a regular user of Loom and think such a tool can help you, and if you're willing to try it and give me feedback on bugs, improvements, etc..., please let me know and I'll share with you the link for this extension.

I really need people committed to giving me feedback. It's super essential for the development of this project. I'd be thankful in advance!

Hi everyone, I’m working on a small repair-tech startup and I’m trying to understand if this is a real problem or just a good idea in theory.

I’m not looking for compliments; honest negative feedback is more helpful.

The idea is simple: when a phone, laptop, appliance, or other device breaks, you upload photos and describe the problem. The app offers a likely diagnosis, advises if it’s safe to try fixing it yourself, shows the tools and parts you might need, and if DIY isn’t advisable, it connects you with a repair expert via video before you pay for a full repair.

Please respond based on your last broken device or appliance:

1. What broke, and what did you actually do?
2. Did you repair it, pay someone, leave it broken, or replace it?
3. What was the hardest part: figuring out what was wrong, finding a reliable guide, locating parts or tools, safety concerns, finding a trustworthy repairer, price, or time?
4. How much time or money did you spend before deciding what to do?
5. Which part of this idea do you not trust: AI diagnosis, remote expert advice, paying in-app, sharing photos, repair quality, or something else?
6. When would you use something like this: before Googling, after YouTube or Reddit fails, before buying parts, before visiting a shop, or never?
7. What would make this clearly better than Google, YouTube, Reddit, iFixit, or a regular repair shop?
8. Do you currently have a broken item that you would try this with? If not, why not?

Bonus question for repair experts: would paid 10 to 15-minute remote diagnosis or quote calls save you time, or would they create low-quality leads?