A big part of entrepreneurship is kind of stumbling in the dark while you figure things out. It can be super hard at first getting comfortable with uncertainty. I’m pretty new to this community but there seems to be some great people here with lot’s of knowledge. Ask around here, look for people in your area you can take to lunch and learn from. I’d love to hear about some of your ideas!

You can start by checking out Facebook groups and subreddits just to see who’s using platforms and see if anything stands out. Try cold-calling trainers in the area, tell them you’re doing research and ask them about their experiences, struggles, and successes. If you can, go hang out where other trainers are working and observe them. Take notes and see if any patterns emerge. Also try looking for influencers on YouTube or TikTok and see who’s getting the most views and engagement then try to figure out why.

I would argue that your experience gained during the time at both startups is actually very valuable. If you want to talk to people about poor judgement, just look for about any angel investor or early seed investors. At that level it’s pretty hit or miss. What have you learned from your experiences? Are there mistakes you wouldn’t want to repeat or advice you’d give to a younger entrepreneur?

I know it can be stressful and miserable to watch a business flop, but at the same time my hot take is I’d still be a part of that than work a boring 9 to 5 for some corporate machine. I haven’t ever invested significant money into a startup that wasn’t my own, but I did work for a small startup my freshman year of college. It was so frustrating to watch the founders make stupid decisions. They leased a space that was way too big for what we needed, restructured pay at least 3 times my first year with them, and so many other silly mistakes. Even though I quit after 2 years because I was tired of the constant changes and leadership issues, I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything! It’s easy for me to say since I don’t have any skin in the game, but don’t be discouraged. I would hope that after your time at these startups you have some good memories and friendships. Now can be a good time to re-evaluate where you’re at, what expenses need to be paid for, and the most realistic way you can make those expenses. Best of luck!

I totally agree! My first business took over 3 years to gain any traction, but the learning that took place during that time was invaluable! I’m actually just starting a project making a monitor to help researchers monitor hives and was at a beekeeper convention last week haha. It’s definitely an amazing market to be in, there’s so much potential.

There was a project on Kickstarter a few months ago that reminds me of this. I think it was called the Plaud Note? It was basically a mini recording device that could transcribe and summarize meetings or lectures. I thought it was a cool idea, maybe look into them and see what they’re offering. I’ll add a link if I can find it again.

Most of my experience is in the realm of physical products, but one workaround that helped was going to universities and hiring students part-time. Because I technically had students in my team, I could sign up for student business competitions to raise equity-free capital. Use that to see where the app goes and like another commenter said, if you’re seeing traction, you will become more appealing to potential investors.