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cover of episode Episode 757 | TinySeed Tales s4e5: Founder Breakups, Crushing Failures, and the Future

Episode 757 | TinySeed Tales s4e5: Founder Breakups, Crushing Failures, and the Future

2025/2/13
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Startups For the Rest of Us
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Colleen Schnettler
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Colleen Schnettler: 我和我的合伙人Aaron在Hello Query的开发上遇到了瓶颈。Aaron感到精疲力竭，对产品失去了热情，这让我不得不面对一个艰难的决定：是恳求他留下，还是放他走。我们最终决定都休息一段时间，思考自己真正想要什么。我意识到，也许我们从一开始就对产品的愿景存在分歧，导致我们无法有效地合作。现在我面临着几个选择：是否独自继续这个项目，是否改变技术栈，或者是否彻底放弃这个想法。我感到非常失败，因为我们投入了大量的时间和精力，甚至放弃了之前的咨询业务，但现在却一无所获。尽管如此，我并不后悔放弃咨询业务，因为我宁愿以这种方式失败，也不愿永远停留在原地。现在我开始怀疑，Hello Query这个产品是否真的适合我，或者我是否应该寻找其他的机会。客户访谈显示，我们的产品方向可能存在问题，我们需要重新思考解决方案。我感到迷茫和困惑，不知道下一步该怎么走。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Co-founders Colleen and Aaron face a critical juncture in their startup journey. After attempting to improve development speed by hiring a contractor, Aaron expresses burnout and disengagement, leading to a difficult conversation and the eventual decision to part ways.
  • Co-founders Colleen and Aaron decide to part ways.
  • Aaron's burnout and lack of excitement for the product are key factors.
  • Colleen considers whether to beg Aaron to stay or let him go.

Shownotes Transcript

In this episode of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling chats with Colleen Schnettler, co-founder of Hello Query, as she navigates the complexities of her startup journey. 

After a challenging period with her co-founder Aaron, Colleen reflects on their decision to part ways and the emotional toll it has taken on her. She shares her feelings of crushing failure, the uncertainty of moving forward alone, and the realization that their initial product vision may not align with market needs. 

**Topics we cover: **

  • (0:49) – Colleen and Aaron make a tough decision

  • (4:09) – Voice memo, “Crushing Failure”

  • (7:59) – What if you hadn’t raised money?

  • (11:44)  – Colleen weighs her remaining options

Links from the Show: 

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question) for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!

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