Before 20 or 25 employees, most companies are structured with everyone reporting to the founder. It's totally flat.

When it comes to starting startups, in many ways, it's easier to start a hard startup than an easy startup.

You have to let your team get all the credit for all the good stuff that happens, and you take responsibility for the bad stuff.

You're either not hiring at all or it's probably your single biggest block of time.

... if you talk to say any of the first 40 or 50 employees, they all feel like they were a part of the founding of the company.

Wait to start a startup until you come up with an idea that you feel compelled to explore.

The other piece besides focus for execution is intensity. Startups only work at a fairly intense level.