So, You're a Startup Founder

You've landed on a potentially groundbreaking idea. You've done your homework, spoken to friends and potential customers, and believe there's a clear market opportunity. You're convinced: all you need now is some funding, or maybe a tech co-founder, to turn your vision into reality.

Right now, you're probably thinking:

"How do I find investors to fund my idea?"
"Where can I find a skilled tech co-founder?"

But let's pause for a moment...

Have you ever wondered if you're even asking the right questions?

You're not alone — most founders I've met start out asking the wrong ones too. The good news? You can course-correct fast if you know where to look.

The following read will only take you 90 seconds.
If you're serious about your own success, read on.

Debunking Common Startup Myths

Let's clarify something critical right now — before you make an expensive mistake:

Myth #1: "If I have a good idea, I can easily raise money."

This was me too. I wasted months polishing pitch decks when what I really needed was to prove people actually wanted what I was building.

Reality: Nobody is handing out cash just because you think your idea sounds exciting. Even if someone has extra cash lying around, it doesn't mean they should or would fund your project simply because you can't afford to build it yourself. Investors need more than enthusiasm, ideas, market research, or financial projections — they demand proof of market traction, real commitment, and clear evidence that you're willing to risk your own resources first.

Ask yourself honestly:

How much of your own money have you invested into this idea?

(Note: your "time" doesn't count; if you believe your time spent on exploring and researching an idea is equivalent to real cash investment, go find a job and work on someone else's dream.)

Myth #2: "All I need is a technical co-founder who can build my app."

Reality Check: Experienced developers don't sit around waiting to build someone else's dream.

Top-tier developers are usually busy building their own ideas. They have their own ambitions, projects, and plenty of other opportunities. If they genuinely believe in something, chances are they're already building it themselves.

Believing that offering equity for "just an idea" is some once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a skilled developer is extremely naive — and frankly, insulting. Your idea alone has no tangible valuation yet, meaning the equity you're offering is essentially worthless at this stage.

Paying an experienced developer upfront is less insulting, but let's face it — most startup founders can't afford it. Even if you have the cash, the deeper issue remains: you're probably unsure your idea will succeed at all. Think about it: if you 100% certain that your startup would be profitable, and you know exactly how much money you'd make each year for the next five years, you would have used up all your savings, borrow extra money, build the app that you have in mind, and keep all the equity yourself; you wouldn't want a tech co-founder.

Stop disguising the truth: Offering equity to a developer when you have no money, resources, or confidence in your idea's success isn't just naive — it's borderline disrespectful. It signals that you're unresourceful, financially unprepared, and unsure whether your startup will actually work. Let's be real: what you're really looking for is free labour to test your idea — without taking the risk yourself.

And I say this from experience — I've pitched unvalidated ideas, offered useless equity, and learned the hard way. That's why I'm so direct about it now.

Sure, this approach might work if you're hacking away with friends who mutually want to explore the idea itself. But in reality expecting experienced professionals to stake their careers on your unvalidated idea isn't just unrealistic, it's a complete fantasy.

Ask yourself honestly:

Do you have unique resources or exceptional connections?
Do you already have real customers eager to buy your product?
How much skin do you genuinely have in the game?

If your answers aren't compelling, talented developers won't join you just because you're offering them "equity to an opportunity."

The Ugly Truth About Working with Development Agencies and Freelance Developers

You might think hiring an agency or a freelance developer to build your MVP is your easiest option. But there's an uncomfortable reality that few people talk about openly:

1. Agencies Profit by Billing Hours — Not Building Your Success

Agencies typically make money by marking up hourly rates. For example, they hire engineers at $X/hour and bill you at $X+Y/hour. Their profitability is tied directly to complexity and development time:

The more complex your product, the longer it takes, and the more features you add, the more profitable it is for the agency.

This means their incentives aren't always aligned with your goal of building something lean, fast, and market-ready.

2. Misalignment of Expectations (The Root of Most Disasters)

Having spent 20 years bridging the gap between business and engineering, I've seen countless startups fall victim to this common pitfall:

Unless you've managed developers or deeply understand how software products are built, your imagination of how to bulid your product and the instructions you provide to anyone will inevitably be misinterpreted.

Developers typically aren't business-minded; they build based on their own interpretations, worldview, and technical perspective.

You approach the project from your own idea's perspective, with entirely different expectations.

Result? Missed deadlines, cost blowouts, frustration, and endless rounds of rework.

This is precisely why horror stories about outsourcing, offshoring, and development agencies are so common. The fault lies on both sides — but often, as a founder, you simply don't know what you don't know.

I've been in rooms where both sides genuinely tried — but still ended up frustrated. That's why I now help founders build only what matters, in the right order.

3. Why "Small, Iterative Steps" Rarely Happen with Agencies

Building in small increments, validating each step, and making gradual progress sounds easy, but requires deep product insight.

Most founders, especially first-timers, simply don't have the experience to determine:

What specific component should be built first.
How to maximise the limited resources they have right now.
Which features are actually critical to reach their next business milestone.

Agencies and freelancers rarely guide you effectively in this process — because again, their incentives favour bigger scopes and longer timelines, and chances are they haven't built a business with their own money previously, making it challenging for them to empathised with your circumstances and objectives.

4. Premium Agencies: Expertise at a High Price

Yes, premium, experienced agencies exist. They offer extensive product and startup expertise, strategic insights, and reliable results. But that comes with a steep price tag:

Can you confidently commit tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on a product you're hopeful — but not 100% sure — will succeed?

5. Outsourced or Offshore Developers: Affordable, But Rarely Aligned

Freelancers and lower-cost developers can seem like a cost-effective way to build your MVP. But consider carefully their real limitations:

While they might know how to code (well, more than you do, presumably), most freelancers lack genuine entrepreneurial experience. Have they ever used their own money to build a startup or product from scratch? Have they ever personally faced the uncertainty, risks, and pressures you're experiencing right now?

Typically, inexperienced freelancers have limited understanding of business strategy, customer psychology, market validation, and the intricate process of iteratively building successful products. Their main concern is straightforward: to be paid fairly for their hours.

They're not incentivised to deeply align with your objectives — they don't need to understand your customer deeply, validate your business assumptions, or help you prioritise which features will actually get you closer to product-market fit. Their goal is simply to deliver what you ask for, regardless of whether it's what your business actually needs at the time.

Ultimately, while freelance developers might seem budget-friendly upfront, their lack of alignment with your startup goals can cost you critical time, wasted budget, and missed market opportunities.

The Bottom Line?

Both agencies and freelance developers have their place. But if you haven't managed a software development team before — or lack deep experience in building digital products with engineers — be prepared to budget double or even triple what you initially expected. That's the real cost of filling your knowledge gaps while climbing a steep learning curve in real time.

Then What Should I Do?

Focus on What You Can Actually Control

Forget unrealistic hopes and risky gambles. The smartest founders start with what they already have:

Your current budget — no matter how small.
Your immediate resources — skills, connections, existing knowledge.
Your direct market opportunities — real customers you can reach now.

Taking control means you:

Stop chasing external funding based purely on ideas.
Stop waiting for the miracle tech co-founder who'll build your dreams for free.
Start making immediate, realistic progress, one small step at a time.

My Radical Approach (The Real MVP Way)

My name is Jonathan Chak. Since 2003, I've helped over 200 businesses — from solo entrepreneurs to global corporations — launch digital products. Alongside client work, I personally tested more than 50 startup ideas myself, raised capital and secured government grants for a few, and successfully sold one of the businesses. I have also reviewed over 500 early stage startup government grant proposals, as well as guided 190 high-growth companies through a rigorous commercialisation grant process, carried out due diligence, recommending investment, gaining a front row seat on what works and, more importantly, what common, but detrimental mistakes people make when building their business.

My approach is radically different:

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I won't blindly agree to build what you think you want to build.

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I will ask what you already have — your idea, how much cash you have with you at the moment, what are your disposable skills, unique resources that you can actually use, and market validation to date.

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Then, I tell you exactly what you can/should realistically build immediately with what you have to keep moving forward.

Instead of promises, I give you clarity. Instead of uncertainty, you get validation and calculated risks. And rather than burning cash, you build something lean, focused, and ready for your market.

Let's Talk – Leverage My Experience

Want to know what you really should do next with your business idea?

Let's spend 30 minutes together — no pitch, no strings attached. Just real talk about your idea and how to move it forward.

Here's how it works:

We'll spend 30 minutes together.
You'll share your idea, your current resources, and what you've done so far.
You'll walk away with a fresh perspective and a practical next step — built around what you can actually do right now.

This session isn't just about advice — it's a mutual test of alignment. I choose who I work with carefully, and by the end, we'll both know whether it makes sense to take the next step together.

Book your 30-minute MVP Clarity Session →