OKY

I’ve spent 10+ years on startup ecosystem as a manager in a tech hub and startups, listened to 1,000+ startup pitches, and led founders to investors in the US, UK and Europe. I thought I knew everything about building a business. Until I started building my own. 🧵

@Hazel52389 If you don’t plan for taxes, they’ll plan for you 🤷🏻‍♂️

@OKYtech Profit is what you keep not what you earn planning taxes early protects your real income

The worst financial mistake freelancers make: - not saving for taxes. - thinking gross income is actual income.

@Shaikh_Sadique3 Raising awareness on this matter is crucial.

@OKYtech ngl most people want funding before they even have users that’s where it breaks

Getting a lot of DMs lately asking “how do I raise funding for my startup?” If you’re early stage with no users or revenue yet, here are your realistic options: 1. Friends & Family / Angels: people who bet on you, not your pitch deck. 2. Accelerators: 5-10% equity for mentorship, network, sometimes small capital. 3. VCs: nearly impossible without real traction (paying customers, active users, retention, growth). Plus, you have to be very well organized for funding meetings. Most VCs fund momentum, not potential unless you have a successful exit. If you’re pre-traction, getting your first 10 users matters more than any pitch meeting. Chasing funding before you have users is just burning time you don’t have.

@DeepCantCode Yeah, full relying on api’s blindly is a very risky approach. It’s about controlling when and how you use them.

@OKYtech True that's why building apps fully relying on api calls from other AI is a waste of money

Dear AI tool builders, Your API costs will teach you more about business than any degree ever could.

@Mdasarki2 Hahah, it is hard but very educational.

@OKYtech Nothing hits like a reality check from your monthly billing statement. That's real education.

@shaktidev96 @FarazKhan724 Yeah it’s really annoying. You've gotten through most of the difficult parts, by the way. Keep going on!

@OKYtech @FarazKhan724 living this. 48 downloads on InsightBite, 0 paying. hardest part isn't shipping — it's the gap between "people are downloading" and "people are paying". feels like staring at a wall

Which one kills solo founders more? - Overthinking the idea - Underbuilding the audience

@AIDevXPro That’s it.

@OKYtech Very true,Founder-market fit sustains you long enough to actually reach product-market fit.

Founder-market fit matters more than product-market fit. You can't fake caring about a problem for 5 years.

@JonathanDobkin So true, every impossible problem you solve expands what you think you're capable of handling next.

Running a startup teaches you more than school ever will. No syllabus. No right answers. Just pressure, uncertainty, and figuring things out in real time. At some point, you stop building a company…and start building yourself.

@Lilly7862 Yeah, showing up builds the muscle that matters most which is tolerance for discomfort.

You don’t need perfect conditions. You just need a mindset that doesn’t quit. Rain or shine, good days or low days. You still show up. That’s real strength.

@Growwithamaka The hardest part isn't picking one thing. It's staying with it when the shiny new AI feature drops and everyone's talking about it.

A lot of people try to do too much at once. But real growth comes step by step. Consistency in small moves compounds into big wins. It’s not about rushing—it’s about building steadily so the foundation never cracks. Read that again

@thejustinwelsh So true. Compound stupidity early becomes compound wisdom lately.

If you can spend a decade showing up, feeling stupid, getting feedback, trying again, feeling stupid again, and eventually getting better, you'll likely be in the top 1% of worldwide earners. The path is always the same, but few people will actually walk it.

@TTrimoreau Real users with real problems they're willing to pay to solve.

What makes a startup actually stand out today?

@Hazel52389 Yeah. Control your inputs, trust the compound effect.

You don’t always need more control over outcomes. You need better control over effort. Outcomes are delayed feedback. Effort is what you actually own today

@shiyam_kashfiq Right. When it gets hard, only real care keeps you in the game.

@OKYtech Absolutely. Real problem connection sustains traction through long nights