I Talked to Dozens of Founders
Welcome to the Dave vs. Startups.
I've talked to dozens of successful founders who all shared one thing:
They played the long game when everyone around them wanted quick wins.
After scaling and exiting my own B2B SaaS company, I've realized consistency beats the overnight success fantasy every time.
This lesson took me years to figure out, but you'll learn it in 2 minutes:
Recently I interviewed a founder who named her company "LongPlay" for a reason.
This wasn't just a cool name...
But it encapsulates her blueprint for long-term success by focusing on profitability before scaling.
Yep, her philosophy was focusing on profitability and cash flow BEFORE scaling revenue.
I see this pattern with successful founders I talk to.
Some might have early wins, but most share the same story:
"I've been working at it for YEARS. It took meaningful time to get base level traction before reaching where I am now."
The overnight success myth is just that, a myth.
But this is the tricky part:
Consistency doesn't mean stagnation.
You want to play the long game and give your idea a proper chance (I'd say about 4 years), but you MUST keep challenging yourself during that time.
You don't have to overhaul your entire business model, but you absolutely need to keep looking for ways to move forward.
Otherwise, you're just doing nothing, the same thing repeatedly, and calling it "patience."
The dance between consistency and knowing when to pivot is what separates founders who succeed from those who don't.
It's not as simple as saying, "I'll step on the gas pedal."
If it were, everyone would be a millionaire.
But here's what I've learned about authenticity…
The more authentic you are with your business approach, the easier EVERYTHING else becomes.
Your culture flows naturally.
Your systems align with your vision.
Your company becomes sustainable AND profitable.
We once tried to force a different culture in our company that didn't reflect who we really were.
It failed. Hard.
When we got back to building on our own terms, growth followed naturally.
So here's my advice after years of building and helping other founders:
Play the long game
Earn that first million patiently
Stay consistent BUT keep evolving
Build on your terms
Trust that compound growth will follow.
Thanks for reading!
Dave