When I started my first startup, I thought working harder was the best way to grow it.
→ Long hours.
→ No breaks.
→ Just grind.
But here’s the truth - working harder can actually kill your startup.
After coaching over 50 startups and building 2 myself, I’ve seen it destroy founders - and if I hadn’t realized it, I wouldn’t be here talking to you today.
Almost every founder makes this mistake - and you might be making it too. So give me a few minutes and I’ll show you exactly ...
✅ Why working harder kills your startup’s growth
✅ How to tell if you’re making this mistake right now
✅ What you can do instead to actually grow your startup
But before I show you that, I want to give you a quick look at how I used to work in my first startup - and why I almost lost everything.
→ Long hours.
→ No breaks.
→ Just grind.
But here’s the truth - working harder can actually kill your startup.
After coaching over 50 startups and building 2 myself, I’ve seen it destroy founders - and if I hadn’t realized it, I wouldn’t be here talking to you today.
Almost every founder makes this mistake - and you might be making it too. So give me a few minutes and I’ll show you exactly ...
✅ Why working harder kills your startup’s growth
✅ How to tell if you’re making this mistake right now
✅ What you can do instead to actually grow your startup
But before I show you that, I want to give you a quick look at how I used to work in my first startup - and why I almost lost everything.
How I used to work in my first startup
I was up at 4 a.m. Coffee. Laptop open before the sun came up. I checked my inbox – 200 new mails. Then straight into product tweaks, outreach, creating content, improving my landing page – everything.
I went to bed at 11 p.m. most nights.
I did that for three months straight.
No weekends.
No breaks.
Just grind.
And I thought I was doing everything right - because that’s what we’re told, right?
→ Work harder.
→ Hustle more.
→ Push through.
But here’s the crazy part:
After all that work, there was almost no growth. And I was stuck.
I mean, I had a product. I had content. And I was working harder than ever. But nothing was moving. Revenue was flat. And I was exhausted. I was frustrated.
Then I talked to other founders who were growing way faster than me – with big teams, millions in revenue.
So I asked them what they were doing differently.
And that’s when I realized something that changed everything.
I went to bed at 11 p.m. most nights.
I did that for three months straight.
No weekends.
No breaks.
Just grind.
And I thought I was doing everything right - because that’s what we’re told, right?
→ Work harder.
→ Hustle more.
→ Push through.
But here’s the crazy part:
After all that work, there was almost no growth. And I was stuck.
I mean, I had a product. I had content. And I was working harder than ever. But nothing was moving. Revenue was flat. And I was exhausted. I was frustrated.
Then I talked to other founders who were growing way faster than me – with big teams, millions in revenue.
So I asked them what they were doing differently.
And that’s when I realized something that changed everything.
👉 They weren’t working harder. They weren’t doing more. They were doing less. But the right things.
That was the moment I learned one of the most important lessons in building a startup:
❌ Your startup won’t grow because you work more hours.
✅ It will only grow when you focus your time on the things that actually move the needle.
Let’s be honest - it’s easy to fill your day with work.
Emails, calls, meetings, product tweaks.
You feel productive. You feel in control.
But just like me - that doesn’t mean you are making progress.
And that’s the trap. The "work harder trap".
So, how do you fix it?
How do you make sure your hours actually create growth?
Let me show you a simple framework that does exactly that.
This is one of the most powerful frameworks to really grow your startup and I now teach it to every founder I coach.
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But hey, before I show you this powerful framework - I've got something for you that will help you on your startup journey - my Startup Success Bundle.
The Startup Success Bundle is perfect for you if you are looking for a step-by-step, actionable roadmap to build a successful startup. It's trusted by 50+ founders, so it's tried and tested, not theoretical stuff.
Click the button below and check it out!
But hey, before I show you this powerful framework - I've got something for you that will help you on your startup journey - my Startup Success Bundle.
The Startup Success Bundle is perfect for you if you are looking for a step-by-step, actionable roadmap to build a successful startup. It's trusted by 50+ founders, so it's tried and tested, not theoretical stuff.
Click the button below and check it out!
The 3-2-1 Framework
Ok, the framework to really grow your startup is called the 3–2–1 Framework. And it’s so simple you can use it right now.
Step 1: Define your main goal
I am not talking about some vague dream like "Grow my startup" or "Get traction". I am talking about a real, measurable goal.
For example:
→ Get 200 new users this month. or
→ Launch the new product version by Friday.
Something you can look at and say:
Yes or no.
Done or not done.
For example:
→ Get 200 new users this month. or
→ Launch the new product version by Friday.
Something you can look at and say:
Yes or no.
Done or not done.
Step 2: Once you’ve got that goal, ask yourself:
✅ If I could only do 3 things this week to grow my startup, what would they be?
→ Write them down.
→ Then cut it down.
✅ What if I could only do 2?
✅ And what if I could only do 1 thing?
That forces you to focus.
It cuts busywork, unnecessary meetings, random ideas – all the little things that make you feel busy but don’t actually grow your startup.
✅ If I could only do 3 things this week to grow my startup, what would they be?
→ Write them down.
→ Then cut it down.
✅ What if I could only do 2?
✅ And what if I could only do 1 thing?
That forces you to focus.
It cuts busywork, unnecessary meetings, random ideas – all the little things that make you feel busy but don’t actually grow your startup.
👉 When you apply this framework every week, it forces your startup to grow – because you stop reacting to every ping.
Let me quickly show you this framework in action.
Let’s say you want to get your first 100 customers.
Now, you could spend all week redesigning your landing page.
Or writing 10 blog posts. Sure.
But maybe the one thing that matters is reaching out to 200 people who might actually buy - and booking calls.
That’s not as flashy - but it’s what creates real growth.
It brings you closer to your goal.
→ The 3–2–1 Framework forces you to think like that.
→ It keeps you focused on outcomes, not staying busy.
And once you start doing that, you’ll realize something powerful - you don’t need to work harder. You just need to work on what matters most.
The startup truth no one tells you
So here’s the startup truth no one tells you:
✅ Hard work is great.
✅ Commitment is great.
But your energy is limited - and if you don’t use it on the right things, you’ll burn out before you break through.
And when you’re burned out, your dream of building a successful startup is done.
So the founders who scale the fastest aren’t the ones who grind the hardest.
They’re the ones who know what matters most.
POWERFUL STARTUP RESOURCES✅ Hard work is great.
✅ Commitment is great.
But your energy is limited - and if you don’t use it on the right things, you’ll burn out before you break through.
And when you’re burned out, your dream of building a successful startup is done.
So the founders who scale the fastest aren’t the ones who grind the hardest.
They’re the ones who know what matters most.
What's next
If you take one thing from this, let it be this:
Working harder alone doesn’t grow your startup. Focus does. So use this framework and focus on the one thing that really grows your startup.
But if you want to really speed up your startup growth, check out my Startup Success Bundle.
This system gives you a proven roadmap to help you build your startup faster and with less hassle - so you can gain financial freedom, support your family, and build something you truly believe in - WITHOUT feeling stuck or frustrated.
Check it out now!
Working harder alone doesn’t grow your startup. Focus does. So use this framework and focus on the one thing that really grows your startup.
But if you want to really speed up your startup growth, check out my Startup Success Bundle.
This system gives you a proven roadmap to help you build your startup faster and with less hassle - so you can gain financial freedom, support your family, and build something you truly believe in - WITHOUT feeling stuck or frustrated.
Check it out now!