How To Deal With Setbacks

TL;DR

Setbacks (fundraising failures, cofounder disputes, bad deals, failed launches, legal threats) are inevitable and continuous in startups—"the sport" is getting punched, not avoiding punches. Founders cannot control whether setbacks happen but can completely control their reaction.

Key insights

• Every startup founder gets hit repeatedly; dodging all punches is impossible. The game is taking punches, not avoiding them.
• Many founders believe a single event (fundraise, deal, YC acceptance, launch) will end the struggle (“roll credits”), but credits never roll—the hard work continues for years even at successfully exit
• Fundraising failures create a warped reality because no one announces rejections; everyone sees only successes, making each founder feel uniquely cursed.