At Stone & Chalk, we’ve worked with hundreds of founders – first-time entrepreneurs, second-time builders, and scaleups entering global markets.
No matter the stage, one thing that shows up again and again: success rarely looks like the myths.
There’s a lot of noise out there, advice that sounds great in theory but falls apart in practice. So here’s our take on the eight startup myths we hear most often, and the hard-won truths we’ve seen play out on the ground.
Whether you’re launching your MVP or hiring employee number 20, understanding these realities can save you time, pain, and a few grey hairs.
Myth 1: It’s all about the idea
The “aha moment” is the stuff of legend. One brilliant idea is all you need to change the world, or so the story goes.
Reality: Execution is everything.
Ideas are cheap. Everyone has them. What separates successful founders is what they build. They take a rough idea and turn it into something real, then keep making it better.
These people launch early. They listen to customers. They change direction when something isn’t working.
Uber didn’t start with the app it has today. Canva tested dozens of designs. Atlassian changed its pricing model again and again.
Your first idea won’t be your final product. What counts is your speed, your decisions, and your willingness to do the hard, boring, frustrating work of building.
Myth 2: Move fast and break things
This little phrase from the early days of Facebook’s history has become a startup motto. It sounds like a bold call to arms – like startups should sprint ahead, smash barriers, and worry about the mess later.
Reality: Move fast, but don’t break what matters.
Speed is important. You need to ship, test, and learn quickly. But rushing broken features into the hands of customers isn’t speed, it’s recklessness.
People rely on your product to solve real problems. If it crashes, if it’s full of bugs, if it feels unfinished, they’ll walk. And they probably won’t come back.
Fast should mean focused. You move quickly by making clear decisions, cutting what doesn’t matter, and building only what’s needed. You move fast by learning fast, not by skipping steps.
Think of it like building a race car. You want it fast, but the wheels still have to stay on. Build it fast, but build it right
Myth 3: Investors have all the answers
Venture capitalists often seem like startup oracles, people with deep knowledge, sharp instincts, and a golden touch. But don’t be fooled by the mystique.
Reality: Most VCs aren’t builders, they’re bettors.
Many VCs have never started a company themselves. Their job is to invest in ten startups and hope one becomes a hit. That means they’re playing a numbers game, not building your business day to day.
Some VCs bring real value – connections, experience, or sharp thinking. But others recycle the same advice they give to every founder, whether it fits or not. They follow trends. They hedge bets. And they’re not the ones in the trenches with you at midnight fixing a broken launch.
Take their input seriously, but don’t treat it as gospel. Filter advice through your own knowledge, your team, your mission. It’s your company. Your call. Your consequences. Choose investors who respect that.
Myth 4: Raising money is the hardest part
Pitching investors. Getting a “yes.” Announcing your raise. It all feels like a major victory, and it is. But it’s not the finish line. It’s the starting gun.
Reality: Raising money is hard. Building a great business is harder.
Funding helps, but it doesn’t solve your problems. It just gives you a chance to solve them faster. If your product doesn’t work, if users don’t care, if your team isn’t aligned, the money won’t save you.
The real work starts after the cheque clears. You have to build a product people genuinely want. You have to grow a team, lead through uncertainty, hit targets, miss some, and try again.
Investors might give you capital, but only customers will give you proof that what you’re building matters. And if you can build a business that matters, it makes raising money even easier.
Myth 5: It’s easy to keep customers with a great product
You’ve built something users love. You’re getting good feedback. Surely they’ll stick around...
Reality: Retention is hard work.
People don’t leave just because the product is bad. They leave because they don’t feel supported. They don’t understand the value. They hit friction during onboarding. They get stuck and no one helps. They go months without hearing from you.
Retention is earned, day by day, touchpoint by touchpoint. It’s in your onboarding flow. Your help docs. Your response time. Your roadmap updates. Your tone in emails. Your ability to show customers that you’re still solving their problem, even after they’ve paid.
So if you want to keep growing, start by plugging the leaks. Talk to people who cancel. Learn why they left. Fix the gaps. It takes work, but it matters.
Myth 6: Hire the best people from the big companies
It’s tempting to chase big résumés. An ex-Google engineer. A former PwC exec. It feels like bringing star power into your startup. But don’t be fooled by the logos.
Reality: Startup success demands different muscles.
At big companies, people often have clear roles, layers of support, and polished systems. At a startup, none of that exists. You're building the plane while flying it and not everyone’s wired for that.
You need people who can make things work in the unknown. People who can handle chaos, wear five hats, and figure things out without a playbook. You need builders, not just operators.
Pedigree might get someone in the door. But what matters most is their mindset: Are they curious? Are they resilient? Can they work without structure? Can they make progress with half the information?
In a startup, it’s not where they’ve been, but what they do when everything is messy.
Myth 7: You need a co-founder to succeed
Starting a company alone can feel daunting, and the conventional wisdom is clear: find a co-founder.
Reality: A co-founder can be an asset, but going solo isn’t a death sentence.
Yes, a great co-founder can bring balance, support, and complementary skills. But the wrong co-founder? They can slow you down, drain your energy, and wreck your vision.
Plenty of successful companies like Shopify, Bumble, and Amazon started with solo founders. Those founders knew how to stay focused, bring in help where needed, and build strong networks around them.
Going solo means more weight on your shoulders, but it also means faster decisions, a clear vision, and fewer chances for conflict.
Myth 8: Startups life is glamorous
Headlines make it all look shiny. Multi-million dollar raises, sleek offices, founders on magazine covers. It’s easy to think the startup world is all buzz and breakthroughs. But that’s just the highlight reel.
Reality: Most of it is a grind.
Behind every “overnight success” are years of long days, late nights, and endless problem-solving. It's fighting bugs, fixing cash flow, calming angry customers, and pushing through when things break – because they will break.
There’s more uncertainty than stability. More rejections than wins. Some days it feels like nothing’s working. Other days, like everything might fall apart.
The founders who make it chase progress. They show up. They stay focused. They keep going, even when it’s boring, stressful, or invisible to the outside world.
Celebrate the small wins. Back your team. Stay close to your mission. The glamour may never show up. But the impact you make will.
Final thoughts
What surprised us most about startups wasn’t one myth, it was how easy it is to get distracted by them.
Startups demand clear focus, constant learning, and a drive to solve real problems for real people. The best founders test, adapt, and keep going, even when it’s hard.
What makes startups exciting is the progress. The energy that builds when you solve something useful. The skills you gain by doing the work. The pride that comes from creating something from scratch.
Stay focused. Keep learning. That’s where the real rewards come from.
