I built an AI SaaS from zero to nearly $8K MRR organically in the first year — then lost it all to governance gaps, trust gone wrong, and mistakes no founder should repeat. There could be just one line here: never mix personal with business. But I doubt that would get published. never mix personal with business. I built a startup with my life partner. We shared a vision, a home, and a company. What I didn’t realize was how fast blurred lines between love and business can erase you from your own story. In recent weeks, both of us have published reflections on winding down Olympia — you can read his. My experience is different, and I shared it in a post on LinkedIn. I also responded to the blog post. Below is my account as a first-time CEO and AI SaaS co-founder: what I did right, what I did wrong, and the lessons I believe no founder should have to learn the way I did. Olympia his post responded What I Did Right When people ask what my role was, I tell them plainly: I built Olympia from zero to nearly $8K MRR at its peak — with almost no ads. It was teamwork, yes, but I led the growth, customer success, and revenue operations that carried us forward. I’m proud of building a customer-centric business that fostered long-term relationships with our customers, many of whom became our champions and friends. The rest came from hard work and grit. I: Designed and executed vision, mission, branding, business, content, and overall marketing strategy
Built long-term customer relationships
Ran the full sales cycle, from demos to closing
Secured partnerships and drove PR
Created storytelling that fueled our growth
Organized our own events and secured participation in others’ Designed and executed vision, mission, branding, business, content, and overall marketing strategy Built long-term customer relationships Ran the full sales cycle, from demos to closing Secured partnerships and drove PR Created storytelling that fueled our growth Organized our own events and secured participation in others’ For the full breakdown, see my growth story. growth story In short: I carried the CEO work that doesn’t always make headlines but makes or breaks a company. And it worked — until it didn’t. What Went Wrong While my strengths are in organic growth, performance marketing is an area I’m still developing. At some point, we plateaued and missed the momentum for fundraising. I had health problems and, for a time, couldn’t work full hours. My relationship with my main “collaborator” deteriorated, and eventually, I had to leave and move across the ocean to start over.
As my co-founder himself acknowledges in his blog post, we ran Olympia through his existing LLC instead of forming a new company. That shortcut “avoided legal overhead early but created ambiguity later: no vesting, no board, no tie-breaks, no written decision rights.” He was right about that. I regret not insisting on proper incorporation and governance from the start.
We also tried to sell Olympia, and there was interest. Then I received a promising acquihire offer. I say “I,” because in conversations, it seemed that the potential team’s main interest was in my role — or at least, that’s how it was communicated to me.
Somewhere along the way, I found myself excluded from critical conversations. One day, I was suddenly without access to company systems or my income, with no conversation or consent. The deal collapsed, and the wind-down was announced shortly after my co-founder’s LinkedIn post. It felt like being erased from my own startup. While my strengths are in organic growth, performance marketing is an area I’m still developing. At some point, we plateaued and missed the momentum for fundraising. I had health problems and, for a time, couldn’t work full hours. My relationship with my main “collaborator” deteriorated, and eventually, I had to leave and move across the ocean to start over. As my co-founder himself acknowledges in his blog post, we ran Olympia through his existing LLC instead of forming a new company. That shortcut “avoided legal overhead early but created ambiguity later: no vesting, no board, no tie-breaks, no written decision rights.” He was right about that. I regret not insisting on proper incorporation and governance from the start. blog post We also tried to sell Olympia, and there was interest. Then I received a promising acquihire offer. I say “I,” because in conversations, it seemed that the potential team’s main interest was in my role — or at least, that’s how it was communicated to me. Somewhere along the way, I found myself excluded from critical conversations. One day, I was suddenly without access to company systems or my income, with no conversation or consent. The deal collapsed, and the wind-down was announced shortly after my co-founder’s LinkedIn post. It felt like being erased from my own startup. post What I DID Wrong I’ll own my part, too. Here’s where I went wrong — and what I’d do differently: Delayed structure. I let personal closeness replace governance. I assumed trust would equal security.
👉Lesson: Structure protects you. Contracts protect you. Trust alone does not.


Late on marketing help. We brought on a marketing partner too late, and by then my health issues and low energy made it harder to collaborate.
👉Lesson: Fill your knowledge gaps early — don’t wait until they become growth bottlenecks.


Waiting too long to fundraise. By the time growth plateaued, the momentum investors love to see had already slipped.
👉Lesson: Talk to investors earlier, even while you’re still climbing. Momentum is your best leverage.


Over-relying on organic growth.**Organic worked very well till some point. Without diversifying channels, even small shifts became roadblocks.
👉Lesson: Organic is powerful, but resilience comes from mixing channels — performance marketing, partnerships, and customer advocacy together.


Tying my identity too closely to the startup. When I was cut off, it felt like losing not just a company but myself. That made the fall harder than it needed to be.
👉Lesson: You are not your startup. Protect your mental health by keeping your sense of self bigger than the business. Delayed structure. I let personal closeness replace governance. I assumed trust would equal security.
👉Lesson: Structure protects you. Contracts protect you. Trust alone does not. Delayed structure. I let personal closeness replace governance. I assumed trust would equal security. 👉Lesson: Structure protects you. Contracts protect you. Trust alone does not. Lesson: Structure protects you. Contracts protect you. Trust alone does not. Late on marketing help. We brought on a marketing partner too late, and by then my health issues and low energy made it harder to collaborate.
👉Lesson: Fill your knowledge gaps early — don’t wait until they become growth bottlenecks. Late on marketing help. We brought on a marketing partner too late, and by then my health issues and low energy made it harder to collaborate. 👉Lesson: Fill your knowledge gaps early — don’t wait until they become growth bottlenecks. Lesson: Fill your knowledge gaps early — don’t wait until they become growth bottlenecks. Waiting too long to fundraise. By the time growth plateaued, the momentum investors love to see had already slipped.
👉Lesson: Talk to investors earlier, even while you’re still climbing. Momentum is your best leverage. Waiting too long to fundraise. By the time growth plateaued, the momentum investors love to see had already slipped. 👉Lesson: Talk to investors earlier, even while you’re still climbing. Momentum is your best leverage. Lesson: Talk to investors earlier, even while you’re still climbing. Momentum is your best leverage. Over-relying on organic growth.**Organic worked very well till some point. Without diversifying channels, even small shifts became roadblocks.
👉Lesson: Organic is powerful, but resilience comes from mixing channels — performance marketing, partnerships, and customer advocacy together. Over-relying on organic growth.**Organic worked very well till some point. Without diversifying channels, even small shifts became roadblocks. 👉Lesson: Organic is powerful, but resilience comes from mixing channels — performance marketing, partnerships, and customer advocacy together. Lesson: Organic is powerful, but resilience comes from mixing channels — performance marketing, partnerships, and customer advocacy together. Tying my identity too closely to the startup. When I was cut off, it felt like losing not just a company but myself. That made the fall harder than it needed to be.
👉Lesson: You are not your startup. Protect your mental health by keeping your sense of self bigger than the business. Tying my identity too closely to the startup. When I was cut off, it felt like losing not just a company but myself. That made the fall harder than it needed to be. 👉Lesson: You are not your startup. Protect your mental health by keeping your sense of self bigger than the business. Lesson: You are not your startup. Protect your mental health by keeping your sense of self bigger than the business. The Bigger Picture One detail that stung was being reduced to “collaborator” in the mentioned blog post. Titles and language matter. A CEO and co-founder is not “just” a collaborator. The phrasing itself reflects something bigger: how invisible business-side labor in startups often becomes. And this isn’t just my story. Female founders — especially those handling the “business side” of early-stage ventures — disproportionately face being sidelined when equity, governance, and documentation aren’t locked down. The invisible labor of building — customer calls, growth, partnerships, content — often goes unrecognized until it’s gone. And when power isn’t balanced, that’s exactly the labor that gets erased first. Lesson: DEI isn’t only about who you hire. It’s about whose work gets valued, whose voice is included, and who gets written out when structure is missing. Lesson: Lesson: DEI isn’t only about who you hire. It’s about whose work gets valued, whose voice is included, and who gets written out when structure is missing. Starting Over and What’s Next I may have lost a startup, a sole income stream, and my stability (though it’s temporarily). I also had to rebuild my life from scratch. But I didn’t lose my integrity — or my lessons. What this experience clarified for me is simple: I love building things that connect people, solve real problems, and make others feel seen. That’s what drove me as a first-time CEO, and it’s what I want to keep doing — this time with more structure, stronger boundaries, and hard-earned wisdom. Over the last few years, I’ve worn many hats — founder, community builder, storyteller, customer champion. I co-created an innovative AI SaaS, ran a PR agency for underrepresented founders, built global communities, and managed media and events for conferences with thousands of attendees. Through it all, I’ve learned that my strength lies in serving people and helping them find the right solutions. I’m now looking for long-term opportunities where I can bring those strengths into roles like account management, customer success, content and PR leadership, or community-building with a hint of operational responsibilities. If you’re part of a mission-driven, customer-centric team that values both execution and empathy, I’d love to connect. Because at the end of the day, startups rise and fall. But the ability to build, to connect, and to grow with others — that’s what endures. I’ll be continuing to share my lessons and discuss important business matters with modern leaders on The First-Time CEO podcast, my newsletter, and in my upcoming book (2026). One of the guests in Season 2 will be a lawyer covering essential startup founder protections. And, due to high demand, I’ll also be hosting my Organic Growth Marketing for SaaS webinar again on September 3, 2025. The First-Time CEO podcast The First-Time CEO podcast newsletter newsletter Organic Growth Marketing for SaaS Organic Growth Marketing for SaaS What’s the hardest lesson you’ve learned as a founder? Share it in the comments below — because the more we speak honestly about our mistakes, the stronger future startups will be. What’s the hardest lesson you’ve learned as a founder? Share it in the comments below — because the more we speak honestly about our mistakes, the stronger future startups will be.

10 Influential Women in The AI Space

How We Grew Our SaaS to $6K MRR Organically in 10 Months Without Burning Cash

Everything I Learned (the Hard Way) as a First-Time AI SaaS Founder

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

10 Influential Women in The AI Space

Why GitHub Commits Aren’t as Private as You Think

10 Influential Women in The AI Space

The Great Extinction: How AI Is Quietly Killing the Internet

The Noonification: How Often Do NFTs Pass The Howey Test? (1/13/2023)

Darwin's Hybrid Intelligence to Align AI & Human Goals for Startups & VCs

10 Influential Women in The AI Space

Why GitHub Commits Aren’t as Private as You Think

10 Influential Women in The AI Space

The Great Extinction: How AI Is Quietly Killing the Internet

The Noonification: How Often Do NFTs Pass The Howey Test? (1/13/2023)

Darwin's Hybrid Intelligence to Align AI & Human Goals for Startups & VCs

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Minty

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps