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Daniel Lubetzky, who built Kind Snacks and sold it for $5 billion in 2020, told Business Insider he often survived on just four to five hours of sleep while scaling the company, sacrificing exercise and sunlight in the process. The Shark Tank investor said the grind visibly affected his health and appearance, leading him to compare himself to a 'phantom raccoon.'
An Entrepreneur contributor column describes coaching a founder who had crossed seven figures in revenue and had a five-person team, yet still personally approved every decision and monitored every team chat message. The founder believed constant micromanagement was simply required to run a business, a belief the writer traces to an outdated subconscious 'operational identity' left over from her solopreneur days.
A startup investor who has backed nearly 20 companies argues that after hundreds of pitches, the idea itself rarely determines success. Instead, founders who combine humility, adaptability and decisive action under uncertainty are the ones who push through predictable problems like execution gaps, cash shortages and weak teams.
An early-stage investor and Entrepreneur contributor describes walking away from investments that appear promising on the surface but carry hidden structural risks. He cites examples like a hydration test product with an unworkable cost structure, alongside deals involving founders he can't fully trust or markets dominated by entrenched competitors. The piece frames these quiet rejections as some of his most valuable investment decisions, even though they generate no visible outcomes.
An entrepreneur in a heavily regulated industry describes ending a working relationship with a co-manufacturer whose product quality was fine but whose process records were inconsistent depending on who compiled them. Replacing the supplier took weeks and unbudgeted funds, but the founder argues the real lesson was building a habit of decisions that survive outside scrutiny, not just internal convenience.
The founder of DRC Ventures, who has launched more than 22 companies, argues that entrepreneurs must shift from doing everything themselves to building systems and teams that operate independently. He cites Gallup research showing CEOs with strong delegation skills generated 33% more revenue than peers, even though most surveyed entrepreneurs scored low on delegating ability. The piece outlines five specific moves founders can make to remove themselves as the bottleneck in their own companies.
TechCrunch has narrowed down applicants for its November 4 Founder Summit in Boston to 11 finalists competing for four programming slots. The public can now vote on which sessions get added to the agenda, with submissions closing September 4. Topics include practical guidance for founders, such as building an events strategy without a dedicated team.