Founders, when did you discover that building a startup was tougher than expected?

Great question @natiakourdadze , Building a startup taught me early on that success goes beyond passion and creativity—it’s about resilience. I realized things were tougher when the initial excitement of launching an idea quickly turned into long nights solving unexpected challenges: scaling issues, managing cash flow, and keeping the team motivated through setbacks. It's when plans didn't go as expected that I truly understood how adaptable and patient you need to be as a founder. The journey forces you to constantly pivot and rethink strategies, and that's where the real growth happens.

So true @natiakourdadze, the challenges of running a startup hit hard early on. For me it was the constant instability - like just when you think you've got traction, some massive curveball comes along whether it's running low on funding, a key hire leaving, technical issues with the product, etc. And you're always riding this rollercoaster between feeling on top of the world and wondering if you'll even make payroll next month. The toughest part is staying resilient and keeping the team's spirits up through all the chaos. You realize pretty quick that it's less about the initial vision and more about how scrappy and adaptable you can be to keep pushing forward no matter what gets thrown your way. But I guess that's where the real growth and learning happens as a founder, even if it's a brutal process!