The Muse's Kathryn Minshew Speaks at the Female Founders Conference 2016

TL;DR

Kathryn Minshew, founder of The Muse, shares four lessons from four and a half years of building her company: (1) it sometimes does get easier as the risk of imminent death decreases, (2) focus must shift as the company grows and requires constant reassessment of what prevents growth, (3) culture — broken into hiring (using core values, not just “would I get a beer with them”) and ongoing behavior

Key insights

• The common saying “it doesn’t get easier” is misleading; while challenges persist, the risk of startup death becomes less imminent, and you gain a team and resources to solve problems, making some asp
• Focus is stage-dependent: what matters most early (e.g., user growth) may become secondary later (e.g., revenue), and you must constantly identify the biggest growth blockers or existential risks.
• Just because users love your product and send positive emails does not mean the business is healthy; if key numbers (growth, revenue) are flat, the company is at risk.