Episodes

Stop Learning About Startups and Just Start One

George Pu

22 Aug 2025 • 6 min read

Published August 22nd, 2025 • Based on Founder Reality Episode 7

Also available on: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube

I need to tell you about my three spectacular startup failures - and why they were worth more than every business book I've ever read.

Before SimpleDirect worked, I failed three times. Each failure was humiliating, expensive, and taught me lessons I couldn't have learned any other way.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: The biggest barrier to your success as a founder isn't lack of knowledge. It's not starting in the first place.

Back in university, I saw a real problem. It took an hour and a half to get from our college town to the main city where everyone lived.

Students didn't have cars. They relied on parents or endured terrible public transit.

I started a ridesharing company in college and got absolutely destroyed

So I built a ride-sharing app specifically for this route.

The idea made sense. The execution was terrible.

At the pitch competition, a judge asked: "How do you keep women safe in these vehicles?"

I had no answer. I froze on stage.

Another judge: "How do you handle insurance costs? The economics don't work."

Again, no answer.

My co-founders left. The company collapsed. I was humiliated.

But here's what I learned: Economics of scale matter. You need passionate partners, not resume builders. Safety isn't an afterthought - it's fundamental to the business model.

These lessons stuck with me for eight years. No book could have taught me that.

Failure #2: The Travel Planning App Nobody Wanted

This was pre-ChatGPT. I built something similar to Google Trips (which also failed, so I guess I was in good company).

The app was supposed to help people plan better trips. We spent months building features we thought travelers needed.

The trip planning app is the #2 flop that went nowhere

It went nowhere. Complete flop.

The lesson: Market timing matters. Sometimes you're building something the world isn't ready for. Sometimes you're building something the world doesn't actually want.

Failure #3: The Cashback App That Hit #2 on Product Hunt (But Still Failed)

This one hurts because it was so close to working.

The idea: Give people cashbacks on debit card purchases. Link to their bank account, provide local merchant offers, earn money back on everyday spending.

We launched on Product Hunt on a Thursday with zero marketing budget. Hit #2 product of the day. Built a referral system where users got $5 for each friend they referred, cashout at $25.

Four years later, we still get signups from that launch.

But the business failed anyway.

The lesson: Traction isn't everything. A viral launch doesn't guarantee a sustainable business. Product-market fit is different from launch excitement.

Why Startup Education Is Mostly Bullshit

After these failures, I dove into startup education. Books, newsletters, podcasts, Y Combinator videos. I thought I needed to learn everything before trying again.

I was wrong.

Here's the problem with most startup education:

The economics don't work.

If someone is truly successful as a founder, the economic incentive to become a content creator approaches zero. Why would a billionaire founder spend time writing books instead of building more companies?

Technology moves too fast.

I saw a book called "AI 2041" and laughed. I can't predict what's happening in 2026. How can anyone predict 2041?

You're learning theory, not practice.

It's like reading "How to Play Basketball" instead of actually playing basketball. The business world is sports - competitive, fast-moving, requiring real experience.

Most advice is outdated by the time you read it.

The startup world changes monthly, not yearly.

The French Learning Parallel

I've been learning French for 160 days straight on Duolingo. No language school, no textbooks, just daily practice.

I'm a better French speaker now than if I'd spent 160 days reading about French grammar.

Same principle applies to startups. Doing beats studying every single time.

What Actually Works: The Three-Step Framework

After three failures and one success, here's what I learned works:

1. Just Start (Seriously, Just Start)

Don't have an idea? Start with yourself. Build your personal brand. Talk about your life, your views, your experiences. Connect with people in your industry.

As you talk to more people, you'll discover their problems. That's where ideas come from.

Don't wait until you have the perfect idea. You can always pivot. SimpleDirect is pivoting right now after five years.

2. Solve Your Own Problem First

The best products come from founders who are their own first users:

Uber: Founders couldn't find a cab at Obama's inauguration
Airbnb: Founders needed a place to stay and extra income
Dropbox: Drew Houston needed to sync files across devices

If you significantly improve your own life with your product, you're onto something.

I regret that I'm not the target user for SimpleDirect. It makes the product harder to improve and market.

3. Launch Smart, Not Expensive

Most people think launching means Google Ads and Facebook Ads. That's expensive and usually ineffective.

Here's what worked for our cashback app:

Product Hunt launch (free)
Clear, honest value proposition (we help people with debit cards earn cashbacks)
Referral system ($5 per friend, minimal cost)
Humble positioning (we're here to solve a specific problem, not change the world)

Result: #2 product of the day, organic signups for four years, total marketing cost under $50.

The Real Cost of "Learning"

You can start, build, and sell something for under $50 total. There's no excuse not to try.

But here's what kills most founders: They spend months or years "learning" instead of doing.

Reading startup advice becomes procrastination disguised as productivity.

I know Y Combinator founders who are jealous of the traction our failed cashback app got. Think about that - a failed project outperformed their "successful" launches because we focused on execution, not education.

For Aspiring Founders Reading This

Stop reading this blog post and go build something.

I'm serious. You've learned enough theory. You know more than I did when I started my first company.

The difference between successful founders and aspiring founders isn't knowledge. It's willingness to start before you feel ready.

Pick a small problem you personally face. Build the simplest possible solution. Launch it on Product Hunt next week.

Will it fail? Probably. Did my first three fail? Absolutely.

But you'll learn more from one month of building than one year of reading.

The Bottom Line

SimpleDirect works today because of lessons I learned from three spectacular failures. Not from books, not from podcasts, not from Y Combinator videos.

From actually doing the work.

Your first startup will probably fail. Your second might too. That's not a bug, it's a feature. Each failure teaches you something no book can.

The only real mistake is not starting at all.

Stop learning about startups. Start building one.

What's your biggest barrier to starting? Email me at george@founderreality.com - I read every message and respond to the honest ones.

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Daily thoughts: @TheGeorgePu on Twitter/X