Lessons from a Failed Startup

My first startup failed. Not dramatically — no lawsuits or public meltdowns. It just slowly stopped working until I finally admitted it was over.

For a long time, I didn't talk about it. Failure felt like something to hide. But the lessons I learned from that failure are the foundation of everything I'm building now.

Timing Matters More Than You Think

We built a product that was genuinely good. But we built it for a market that wasn't ready. Being early and being wrong look exactly the same until years later.

With Bolta, I obsess over timing. Not just "is this a good idea?" but "is this a good idea right now?"

Team Fit Is Everything

We had talented people who didn't work well together. Skills on paper don't translate to chemistry in practice. Now I hire for values alignment first, skills second.

The Cost of Not Quitting

I held on too long. I kept thinking "one more month" would turn things around. But every month I spent on a dying company was a month I couldn't spend on what came next.

Learning to quit well might be the most important skill in entrepreneurship. It's not giving up — it's strategic reallocation.