From: Richard Starting Up

I’ve decided to start my own startup here in Silicon Valley. Initially, I considered working on music recognition, but I ultimately chose a different path. Follow me on this journey!

How I Balanced Building the Backend and Booking User Interviews While Prepping for a Crucial Advisor Call

Today in Startup Land

Woke up pre-sunrise, brain buzzing from yesterday’s user interviews. I don't know if it was excitement or just anxiety pretending to be productivity. Either way, coffee was summoned.

Stuff I Worked On ☕

  • Refined my user outreach email (again). This is version 12, I think. Maybe 13. Every word feels like it matters when you're begging strangers to talk to you.
  • Had two calls with potential users. One was gold. The other told me my idea sounds like "a Notion plugin with extra steps." Not wrong, but also… ouch.
  • Cleaned up the Figma flows based on yesterday's feedback. Highlighted two UX dead ends disguised as "optional steps." Killed them. Less is more.
  • Started sketching backend data structure in Firebase. Hit a moment where I questioned if Firebase is my ride or die, or just the rebound until Supabase returns my texts. Still undecided.

Startup Brainstorm Dump 🧠

  • Feedback is a drug. Every time someone says "interesting," I’m ready to pivot the whole company. I need to cut that out.
  • Talking to early adopters is a cheat code. You don’t need to guess what to build if you just shut up and listen.
  • Momentum is both fragile and compounding. One good call gave me energy for four hours. One ignored email burned half a day. Trying to build more shields and fewer ego traps.

Advisor Call Tomorrow 👀

Got a call lined up with someone much smarter than me. It might turn into strategic advice, maybe intros, maybe nothing. But I’m treating it like a mini pitch—except I can be honest about the parts that are still duct-taped together.

How-To: Write a Discovery Call Email That Doesn’t Get Ghosted

Here’s the template that got me a 55% open rate and replies from people I don't know:

Subject: "Quick question from an early-stage founder building for [their industry]"

Body:

Hey [Name], I’m working on something for [describe the persona, not the product].

I’m not trying to sell anything—I’m just looking to learn from people who actually live this.

Would you be open to a 15-min Zoom call this week?

Even one insight from your experience would go a long way.

Thanks either way!
– [You]

Keep it short. Be human. Beg with dignity.

Tomorrow’s mission: user flows locked, backend prime for prototyping, and keep the momentum from collapsing under its own weight. No pressure.

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