Before joining hands with my current partners, Mareza and Daniel, at pulsd, I had my fair share of failures. But as the saying goes, a failure is not a failure unless you fail to learn something out of it. Here are my learnings:

1. Do Not Go Solo

Initially, I was trying to do everything on my own. There were two major issues with this:

• I worked so much and took on way more than I could handle.

• I had to keep a lot in my head.  

There are certain things that you do not want to discuss with your employees (e.g., “We are running out of money.”). Talking with family and friends helps, but nothing can replace a conversation with someone who is going through the same issues that you are trying to sort out.

2. Do Something That You Are Really Passionate About

One of my startups was a food-based company. I still think the basic idea behind it was good, but as someone who is the opposite of foodie, I just was not the right person to execute it. One way to figure out your passion for your product is to try to place yourself in your customers’ shoes. Are you a fan of the company? Do you find yourself referring each and every person in your contact list to this company? Do you see yourself standing in a line overnight to buy your own product after its launch?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” you are most likely wasting your time like I did with the food business.