Lessons for early stage founders
Calvin French-Owen, co-founder of Segment, shares eight lessons from the company's early years, from setting goals and sending investor updates to launching repeatedly and staying focused. Most come from Segment's own mistakes, including 18 months spent on tools with no users before a self-serve launch finally took off.
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We link to the original and never republish it. All credit to Calvin French-Owen.
Key takeaways
- Set simple goals early, such as landing your first three to five customers, then grow by an order of magnitude.
- Send investors monthly updates with specific asks; they can't help if they don't know what's happening.
- If a launch goes unnoticed, launch again with the next improvement.
- Hire hard once demand is overwhelming you: Segment went from $1M to $2.5M in revenue after a six-month hiring push.
- Choose the partner on your board, not the firm's brand.
Who it's for
Early-stage founders before or just after product-market fit.
Why it's worth your time
Short, honest and specific, with numbers from Segment's own path to back each lesson.
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