Founder Advice

One of the questions I get asked most often by fellow first-time founders is: “What would you do differently if you could start over?”

The honest answer? A lot. Founding Pulse Charter Connect has been the most intense, humbling, and meaningful experience of my life. And if I could sit down with “Day One Laura,” here’s what I’d tell her:

⏳ Time is your most limited resource. Use it wisely.
In the early days, I spent too much time chasing what looked like momentum—talks of potential partnerships, endless product ideas, and back-and-forths that didn’t move us forward.

The truth is simple: if it’s not building the product or getting it into users’ hands, it’s probably a distraction. In the early stage, clarity beats creativity. Ruthlessly prioritize what drives outcomes. Everything else can wait—or be left behind.

💪 Persistence is underrated.
There’s a version of startup storytelling that makes it all look glamorous—overnight wins, viral launches, big funding rounds. But most days, it’s messy, uncertain, and often not fun. People will underestimate you. You'll hit a hundred roadblocks. What matters is showing up the next day—and the next.
We didn’t get here because we got it all right. We got here because we kept going. Persistence isn’t just a trait—it’s a strategy.

🤝 Build your circle.
The people around you will make or break your momentum. You need folks who aren’t just hyped on the mission but are willing to do the work. People who challenge your thinking, who can ship, iterate, and go again.

There’s no space for passengers. Especially early on, every hire, every collaborator, every early customer is either compounding your velocity—or slowing you down. Choose accordingly.

Looking back, I wouldn’t trade the hard-earned lessons. This journey has been built on thousands of tiny decisions, course corrections, and the relentless belief that what we’re building matters.