I am extremely grateful that we met and appreciate not only the kind words but the honesty in the way you write. Founders and entrepreneurs are a rare breed that are willing to sacrifice a lot without a lot of certainty of what will come out on the other side. It’s what makes us special but it’s also what feeds into the loneliness and isolation that we sometimes struggle with.
Great article Melissa. I love that line from Peter: "Companies don’t fail, founders just get tired." It's the brutal truth that the quiet middle is the hardest part.
That feeling of doing the right thing slowly or the wrong thing stubbornly is painfully real. The middle gives you just enough evidence to keep going and never enough to relax. Very considerate of it.
I think there are two things that matter most in the messy middle.
First, revenue isn’t the answer. It’s feedback. The market is telling you either the offer isn’t aligned with what people need, or you’re not reaching the people who need it. The job of the CEO is figuring out which one.
Second, what gets you through the uncertainty is conviction. You have to believe deeply that what you’re building matters, that it serves a very specific person, and that what you offer is meaningfully different for them. This belief can guide you through the most difficult times to make the best decisions.
If you know who it’s for, why it matters, and you trust the market enough to keep listening to the feedback, you can survive a very long messy middle.
I definitely remember when I was struggling to make my company survive.
I wished I could just have to deal with getting a bit better, but I needed what looked like a miracle, at that time.
Then, I found some of the best solutions to my "unsolvable" problems by getting fisically out of the box. A new point of view helped me understand things I couldn't see from the inside, while fighting and running all the time trying to keep everything under control.
As someone who works closely with Pete, I can attest that your perception of him is entirely accurate. He really is empathetic, curious, authentic and down to earth. He is all that and much more. Thanks Melissa. I love your writing :)
the lonely middle is so real, people see the 10% from the outside but it's the scary 80-90% where we mostly live. And I just love how you always capture every founder's story and describe it all in such a non-technical that's easy to understand for everyone.
I am extremely grateful that we met and appreciate not only the kind words but the honesty in the way you write. Founders and entrepreneurs are a rare breed that are willing to sacrifice a lot without a lot of certainty of what will come out on the other side. It’s what makes us special but it’s also what feeds into the loneliness and isolation that we sometimes struggle with.
Thanks again for the share Melissa 🙏🏼
Never a dull day in Startupland. Thank you for the encouragement, Peter! And for one of the best convos I've ever had on a pod :)
Great article Melissa. I love that line from Peter: "Companies don’t fail, founders just get tired." It's the brutal truth that the quiet middle is the hardest part.
That feeling of doing the right thing slowly or the wrong thing stubbornly is painfully real. The middle gives you just enough evidence to keep going and never enough to relax. Very considerate of it.
The middle is also very wide, haha. That's the journey, we have to find ways to enjoy it... until we get to the "fun middle"!
I think there are two things that matter most in the messy middle.
First, revenue isn’t the answer. It’s feedback. The market is telling you either the offer isn’t aligned with what people need, or you’re not reaching the people who need it. The job of the CEO is figuring out which one.
Second, what gets you through the uncertainty is conviction. You have to believe deeply that what you’re building matters, that it serves a very specific person, and that what you offer is meaningfully different for them. This belief can guide you through the most difficult times to make the best decisions.
If you know who it’s for, why it matters, and you trust the market enough to keep listening to the feedback, you can survive a very long messy middle.
I definitely remember when I was struggling to make my company survive.
I wished I could just have to deal with getting a bit better, but I needed what looked like a miracle, at that time.
Then, I found some of the best solutions to my "unsolvable" problems by getting fisically out of the box. A new point of view helped me understand things I couldn't see from the inside, while fighting and running all the time trying to keep everything under control.
As someone who works closely with Pete, I can attest that your perception of him is entirely accurate. He really is empathetic, curious, authentic and down to earth. He is all that and much more. Thanks Melissa. I love your writing :)
Thank you, Maria!!! Lucky you :) He must be easy and fun to work with!
He is! I totally love working with him. There’s none like him.
the lonely middle is so real, people see the 10% from the outside but it's the scary 80-90% where we mostly live. And I just love how you always capture every founder's story and describe it all in such a non-technical that's easy to understand for everyone.