The whole thing is a struggle. Building a product, revenue, marketing, investors. Being stuck in a shitty situation, with no money, no food, no clear way out, only choosing between one risk or another.<p>It's no surprise the topic makes for good HBO drama.<p>There's no shortcut. Just stay calm in the chaos. Focus on one thing after another, especially when it's tempting to do many things. Don't outsource core stuff early on; it's tempting when time is always short, but it often makes things worse.<p>Be honest, completely, brutally honest to yourself. Startups are the last place to lie to yourself. You don't have 'hope', you have plans and hypotheses.<p>Startups are this long march. You either die or you make it rich. If you can simply avoid dying, you will be rich.