Startup Guide: Challenges of Being and Entrepreneur

Summary

Akos Daliaga, co-founder of Talk About, shares key insights on building a successful startup, emphasizing the importance of a strong founding team. He outlines the need for co-founders with complementary skills—a hipster, hacker, and hustler. Daliaga discusses the challenges of building a team, managing stress, and setting up processes in the early stages. As the company grows, it’s vital to hire the right talent, maintain organizational structure, and assess leadership roles. He advises entrepreneurs to select a meaningful problem to solve and emphasizes the importance of enjoying the entrepreneurial journey, despite the challenges.

Takeaways

• 👥 Building a strong founding team is critical—combining the hipster, hacker, and hustler roles ensures balanced vision, execution, and market traction.
• 🔍 Finding co-founders who can endure years of hardship, low pay, and rapid change is one of the earliest and toughest startup challenges.
• ⚖️ Establishing clear decision-making rules early—before stress hits—is essential to avoid conflict and maintain momentum.
• 🧭 Founders must think long-term, anticipating life changes and planning peaceful exit and share-transfer mechanisms.
• 🧑‍💼 During the seed stage, founders must recruit early talent while simultaneously convincing them to believe in the company vision.
• 📚 Documenting processes thoroughly ensures work can be delegated effectively and avoids accumulating technical or operational debt.
• 🧠 Hiring external consultants early helps assess candidates, define organizational structure, and maintain healthy team dynamics.
• 📈 As the company grows, founders need to hire senior or mid-level managers to fill competency gaps and support scaling.
• 📊 Companies should design the organizational structure first, then find the right people for roles—rather than designing roles around existing team members.
• 🪞 Founders must regularly self-reflect, asking whether they are still the best fit for their role or if the company needs professional managers.
• 📝 An exercise of having leaders independently draw the organizational chart can reveal major alignment gaps in understanding roles and structure.
• 🎢 Startup life is a roller coaster; founders should only pursue it if they enjoy the journey and feel fulfilled by solving meaningful problems.
• 🌍 Entrepreneurs should choose problems worth solving—those that make a real positive impact on society.

Q & A

What is the role of the founding team in the success of a company?

The founding team is the second most important element in a company's success. A strong, balanced team, including a 'hipster' (visionary), a 'hacker' (technological expert), and a 'hustler' (salesperson), is crucial for long-term success.

Why is it rare for a startup to succeed with only a single co-founder?

It's rare because it’s difficult to find all the necessary qualities (vision, technical ability, sales acumen) in one person. Successful companies typically need a diverse set of skills and perspectives, which a team of co-founders can provide.

What challenges did the speaker face when assembling the founding team?

The speaker faced challenges in finding people with the right qualities who could grow with the company, accept hardship, and work for low pay during the early years. Building a solid decision-making process before stressful situations arise was also critical.

How important is it to define a decision-making process early in a startup?

It is vital to define a decision-making process early, especially when the company is in stressful situations. Agreeing on decisions beforehand, such as equal shareholding among co-founders, ensures smoother operations and resolution during tough times.

What advice is given for hiring talent at the seed stage of a startup?

At the seed stage, it’s important to hire the right people who align with the company's vision and can grow with it. A mix of junior and mid-level employees should be balanced, and hiring external consultants can help in ensuring proper hiring practices and cultural fit.

What role do external consultants play in the startup's growth phase?

External consultants, such as HR experts, can help filter employees, assess their fit for the company, and ensure the organizational structure is aligned with growth. They can also assist in evaluating roles and responsibilities as the team expands.

What is the challenge of scaling up a startup beyond 30 or 50 employees?

Once the company grows, co-founders can no longer manage everything. Specialized roles, like CFOs and second-level management, are needed to fill gaps in skills and leadership. This requires careful HR planning and role definition to avoid misallocation of resources.

Why is self-reflection important for co-founders during the growth phase?

Self-reflection is important because, as the company grows, co-founders must constantly assess if they are the best person for their current role. This process ensures that the company is led effectively and can make the necessary changes to remain competitive.

What is a critical risk when promoting employees to management roles?

A critical risk is promoting employees from junior positions to management roles without considering their management capabilities. Not all good technical employees have the required leadership skills, which can impact the efficiency and success of the company.

What advice is given regarding the selection of a startup's problem to solve?

Entrepreneurs should choose a problem that is not only important but also impactful for society. By solving a genuine, real-world problem, entrepreneurs increase the chance that their solution will be valued and adopted, ensuring long-term success.