Month 2 Reboot Check In: When Reality Hits (day 62)

After the adrenaline-fueled first month of my founder journey, Month 2 brought me face-to-face with the slower, harder reality of building something from scratch. Here's my unfiltered look at what happened when the initial excitement met the difficult reality of founder dating.

This Month in Numbers:

• 4 new founder meetings (down from 15 last month) - 2 still being explored

• 10 industry leader conversations

• No new VC meetings

• 1 venture studio exploration concluded

Building in Public:

• Continued documentation of the journey - though no strategic goals / SEO efforts made to date

• Started development on app with brother (target launch: February)

• Venture studio opportunity exploration concluded 

• Maintained focus on meaningful connections over volume

Key Insights from Month Two:

1. The post-excitement phase is real - the calendar naturally slows down, and that's when the true test of resilience begins

2. Co-founder chemistry remains complex - while the network is strong, finding that perfect alignment is harder than anticipated

3. Building provides grounding - actual product work offers concrete progress amid ambiguous founder journey

4. Rejection stings even when expected - While logically, I knew it was the right thing for me as well, rejection is difficult!

5. Joy in the work matters - finding satisfaction in the actual building process is crucial for sustainability

The Slowdown I Should Have Seen Coming

Month 1 was a whirlwind of coffee meetings, excited conversations, and seemingly endless possibilities. Month 2? That's when reality decided to check in. The calendar naturally grew quieter, and with it came the first real test of resilience. Not because anything went wrong, but because this is simply part of the journey that every founder faces but few (myself included) prepare for. The challenge isn't just the slowdown itself - it's managing your own psychology when it happens. Despite knowing intellectually that building a company is a marathon, some part of me still expected sprint-like progress. That disconnect between expectation and reality? It hits hard.

The Co-Founder Search Continues

One of the most humbling aspects of this month has been the co-founder search. I came into this journey with a strong network and lots of excitement but the right co-founder relationship is like a marriage, and just like finding a life partner, it can't be rushed or forced. While I've met many talented individuals, that magical combination of shared vision, complementary skills, and mutual trust hasn't clicked yet. The longer this search continues, the more I understand why finding the right co-founder is often described as one of the hardest parts of the startup journey.

Finding Joy in the Build

As someone who loves to build and work, I have found the "dating phase" hard and so having a project to work on has been an incredible source of energy: actual product building. I'm working with my brother on an app we're aiming to soft-launch in February. There's something uniquely satisfying about creating something tangible, about seeing ideas transform into features, about the simple act of building.

The daily progress, even if small, provides a concrete sense of forward momentum that helps balance out the more ambiguous aspects of the founder journey.

The Venture Studio Decision

This month also brought a significant decision point: a potential venture studio opportunity. On paper, it looked perfect- resources, support, and a proven framework for building companies. But something didn't feel right about giving up full control over the building process and partner vetting, not to mention the significant amount of equity. 

The irony? While I was wrestling with whether to say no, they made the decision for me. They were looking for someone more technical - a fact we all knew from the beginning but chose to explore anyway through multiple partner meetings.

I'll be honest: even though I had already decided it wasn't the right path, the rejection stung. It's one thing to choose your path; it's another to have the choice made for you. This experience taught me something important about rejection - even when it leads you to where you were heading anyway, it can still hurt. And that's okay.

Next Month's Focus:

1. Co-founder Search

   • Continue selective exploration of partnerships

   • Focus on quality over quantity in founder dating

2. Product Development

   • Progress on app development with brother

   • Set concrete milestones for February launch

3. Ideation deep dive 

   • Set the time and intention to start coming up with problems to solve 

Most importantly, I'm learning that the founder journey isn't just about building a company - it's about building yourself. Every rejection, every slow period, every moment of doubt is part of that process.

Day 62/365, keeping it real and learning to be patient and enjoy the journey.

P.S. To my future co-founder: I know you're out there somewhere. The search continues.