In this episode we talk about staying positive. Things constantly go wrong at every startup company. How do you stay positive in the face of bad news? How do you keep your team motivated? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:

• What if your big product launch flops?
• What do you do if your competitor announces big news?
• How can you keep your team focused on the big picture?

All of these questions were submitted by listeners just like you. You can submit questions for us to answer on our website TheStartupHelpdesk.com or on X/Twitter @thestartuphd - we'd love to hear from you!

Your hosts:

• Sean Byrnes: General Partner, Near Horizon www.nearhorizon.vc
• Ash Rust: Managing Partner, Sterling Road www.sterlingroad.com
• Nic Meliones: CEO, Navi www.heynavi.com

Reminder: this is not legal advice or investment advice.

Q1: What if your big product launch flops?

Product launches rarely meet sky-high expectations: normalize the disappointment. Then, reframe the launch as a learning milestone. Even if metrics fell short, you’ve gained valuable data on what resonates (or doesn’t) with customers. Highlight those learnings to your team.

Adopt an “Always Be Launching” mindset. Shift from high-stakes drops to ongoing micro-launches that build momentum. Celebrate the team’s efforts: recognize execution, creativity, and resilience.

Finally, share a clear next step to drive focus and restore confidence. Forward motion beats stagnation when morale dips.

Q2: What do you do if your competitor announces big news?

Your team may feel shaken, but this is your cue to lead with clarity—not comparison. Fundraising is not a win; strategy is.

Remind your team: we’re playing our game. If the strategy is working, there is no need to chase others. Be transparent about your game plan. Explain how you’re building durable advantages, like customer love, product strength, or operational excellence.

Reaffirm your long-term edge. If you’re not raising now, frame that as a strength. Perhaps your growth and margins mean you don’t need to. Teams rally behind leaders who bring context, calm, and conviction.

Q3: How can you keep your team focused on the big picture?

Start with transparency. Let your team know what happened, why it matters, and also how it fits into the bigger picture.

Then reframe: one customer is not your whole trajectory. Point to forward-looking metrics like pipeline growth, retention, and new demand.

Most importantly: market to your team. Use repetition to reinforce your mission and momentum. When the team believes in the future, they stay focused despite setbacks.

In this episode we talk about getting started. Founding a company means you are constantly learning to do new things, like hiring and selling. How do you handle these new situations where you have no experience? How do you avoid mistakes? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:

• How is AI changing the nature of work?
• How do you stay ahead of how fast AI is changing today?
• Will my data advantage still be an advantage in the future?
• Can AI really replace employees for me?

All of these questions were submitted by listeners just like you. You can submit questions for us to answer on our website TheStartupHelpdesk.com or on X/Twitter @thestartuphd - we'd love to hear from you!

Your hosts:

• Sean Byrnes: General Partner, Near Horizon www.nearhorizon.vc
• Ash Rust: Managing Partner, Sterling Road www.sterlingroad.com
• Nic Meliones: CEO, Navi www.heynavi.com

Reminder: this is not legal advice or investment advice.

Q1: How is AI changing the nature of work?

AI has transformed daily workflows across every part of the startup journey. From first drafts of sales and marketing copy, to deep research using tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, it's become the first step for many creative processes. Internal tooling has gotten faster with tools like Replit and Cursor, while product discovery now often starts with AI instead of Amazon. Whether it’s coding, devOps, or customer discovery, AI gives founders leverage.

Q2: How do you stay ahead of how fast AI is changing today?

The key is to stay focused on your customer. While tech shifts rapidly, true customer pain changes slowly. Solve real, urgent problems—and use AI tools along the way to stay nimble. It’s totally fine to use APIs like OpenAI’s or wrap an existing model. The winning strategy? Build something valuable today, and keep evolving it with your users.

Q3: Will my data advantage still be an advantage in the future?

"Proprietary data" is losing its edge. Even Bloomberg's private GPT underperformed public models. Unless your data is restricted, hyper-niche, or massive, it's probably not a moat. What matters more is how well you deliver value to users—accuracy, speed, experience, and reliability. That’s your real advantage.

Q4: Can AI really replace employees for me?

It’s not about replacing people—it’s about hiring the right combination of people and AI. Founders need to build the muscle of managing both. The real opportunity is in learning when to hire a human, and when to "hire" an AI tool. Treat AI as an employee that never sleeps, but still needs thoughtful management. We are already seeing plenty of instances where founders are using AI to replace content marketing teams. Furthermore, there is a trend towards smaller engineering teams, with engineers using AI tools to complement and accelerate their efforts.

In this episode we talk about getting started. Founding a company means you are constantly learning to do new things, like hiring and selling. How do you handle these new situations where you have no experience? How do you avoid mistakes? We are here to help! In this episode we answer questions including:

• How do I find a co-founder?
• How do I sell my first customers before my product is ready?
• How do I hire my first salesperson?

All of these questions were submitted by listeners just like you. You can submit questions for us to answer on our website TheStartupHelpdesk.com or on X/Twitter @thestartuphd - we'd love to hear from you!

Your hosts:

• Sean Byrnes: General Partner, Near Horizon www.nearhorizon.vc
• Ash Rust: Managing Partner, Sterling Road www.sterlingroad.com
• Nic Meliones: CEO, Navi www.heynavi.com

Reminder: this is not legal advice or investment advice.

Q1: How do I find a co-founder?

• Start by joining co-founder matching platforms like YC’s co-founder matching, university mailing lists, and local meetups. Often, friends or friends of friends are the best connections.
• Talk about what you're building on social media at least three times a week.
• When you find a promising partner, work on a small project together first to test compatibility.
• Join hackathons, take on side projects, or participate in school challenges to build experience.
• Investigate problems that you are uniquely positioned to work on.
• Develop a durable skill set, especially in building products in emerging markets like AI.

Q2: How do I sell my first customers before my product is ready?

• This is a great opportunity to create a design partnership.
• Consider offering a mix of services and software to get started.
• If they truly need your solution, they will be patient—it’s a good test of urgency.
• Avoid endlessly delaying until you feel "ready"—perfection is a myth.
• Set a target date for release and keep them engaged along the way.
• Keep delivering value:
  • Continue discovery—learn more about their specific needs.
  • Provide access to prototypes and early versions.
  • Offer no-cost pilots to keep them involved during final development stages.

Q3: How do I hire my first salesperson?

• Seek advice from people who have hired salespeople before—they can guide you.
• Even if you don’t fully understand sales, great people can help you hire the right person.
• Ensure you’re actually ready—do you have a structured sales playbook to guide them?
• Write a clear sales playbook before hiring. If you can’t, you’re not ready yet.
• Post the job broadly to attract a wide range of candidates.
• Ask candidates to produce a sales deck or similar work sample as part of the screening process.
• Ash underscores how challenging it is to hire your first salesperson with this: hire three people, knowing that only one will likely be the right long-term fit.

Tune into the full episode to learn how to navigate these challenging "getting started" moments!