Hey, Aaron here! Welcome to this bi-monthly startup newsletter. In each write-up, I tackle questions about building products, financial planning, growth, and raising capital! Today, we dive into -

Education:

What’s really wrong with your startup?

Opinion:

Business is a journey — and it’s supposed to change you

I’m not sure where I first heard this quote, but it’s stuck with me ever since: It’s called a journey, not a trip, for a reason.

When you talk about taking a startup idea from a spark of inspiration all the way to success — or failure — and seeing it through to the end, there’s no better word than “journey.”

Trips are planned. They’re predictable. You usually come back roughly the same person you were when you left.

Building a business doesn’t work like that. It’s an adventure that will change you.

(and it should)

It’s Supposed to Feel Like Chaos

Even with a clear roadmap, something always goes sideways.

• Your early validation falls apart.

• A team member quits when you need them most.

• A supplier misses a deadline.

• An “obvious” assumption about the customer turns out to be wrong, while something you never thought about becomes critical.

Whether you’re trying to build a billion-dollar company or just want to create a $50K-per-month business that supports your lifestyle, you’ll face moments that feel like chaos. That’s part of the deal.

From the outside, startups always look simple: provide X value to Y person at scale. That’s the formula, right?

Oh, if only it were that easy.

The reason founders who make it get to be worth all the money is because they earn it in the trenches. They fight through the ambiguity, the missed metrics, the broken code, the late nights, the cash flow gaps. They show up every day and solve the next unsolvable problem like their business — and their future — depends on it.

Because it does.

What separates the winners isn’t that they had the best idea. It’s that they kept going when everything felt like it was falling apart.

The Journey Changes You

This isn’t just about reaching the destination. Every customer conversation you have, every hard choice you make, every unexpected setback — it all impacts you.

For some people, these experiences wear them down. They burn out, give up, or decide it’s not worth it. But for others, the struggle turns them into the next version of themselves: stronger, more confident, more capable. When you’ve fought a hundred battles, the hundred and first doesn’t seem so scary.

That’s the real ROI of doing hard things — not just the business you build, but the founder you become.

No shortcut, no hack, no playbook will replace the compounding effect of showing up every day and doing the work. The only way out is through.

So if it feels hard, good. That means you’re in the game.

My Takeaways / Next Steps

• Break big goals into small pieces. Most of this work isn’t that complex when you tackle it step by step.

• Expect setbacks. They’re normal. They don’t mean you’re failing — they mean you’re learning.

• Keep a record. Write down lessons, wins, and things you’d do differently next time.

• Remember why you started. The journey itself is what makes you grow, not just the destination.

Notable News

That’s It For Today!

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Written By Aaron @(un)conventional Team