Tactical insights for first-time founders to outsmart the burn, the churn & the breakdown.

Hey Founder,

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but your company?

Turns out, not so much.

There’s a new kind of founder rising. Not in boardrooms, but in browser tabs. In coffee shops. In late-night spreadsheets and scrappy Zapier hacks.

They’re not chasing investors. They’re chasing leverage.

Just them, their laptop, and a lean stack of tools doing what used to take a team of 10.

It might sound like a pipe dream, but here’s the reality:

38% of startups are now solo-founded.

They drive 42% of $1M+ ARR companies.

And account for over half of all exits.

This isn’t about glorifying hustle. It’s about how the definition of “founder” is shifting. And why knowing how to build lean, without skipping the foundations, is more valuable than ever.

Curious? Let’s dig in.

Founders are now building solo what used to take full teams across product, growth, and ops.

Example?

Both built solo by Danny Postma. No team. No funding.

He’s not alone:

This isn’t hustle porn, it’s a shift in how leverage works.

AI is the team. Judgment is the multiplier. And solo no longer means small.

The old playbook:

Raise capital → hire fast → hope the ops don’t break.

The new one?

Start lean. Stay lean. Scale through systems, not headcount.

When AI handles ops, support, analytics, even content, the founder’s job shifts from manager to architect.

What used to need a team of 20 now runs on one sharp brain, a stack of tools, and ruthless prioritisation.

This isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing it differently.

Small teams. Smart infra. Big outcomes.

If you're ignoring this shift, you're not just missing a trend; you're giving up leverage. Here's why:

No team? No problem. Solo builders are launching in days what used to take quarters. The barrier to entry didn’t just lower; it vanished.

Hiring is slow. Capital is cautious. Customers move fast. Today’s unfair advantage? One founder + one lean stack.

From storefronts to ops dashboards, the stack is modular. Your job isn’t starting from scratch. It’s knowing what to plug in.

Growth without profit is dead. AI compresses costs and multiplies margin. We're still early in this curve. But not for long.

This isn’t about trends. It’s about staying relevant. And ahead.

Growth without margin isn’t growth, it’s burn.

Here are 5 ways lean founders are building real leverage:

1. Go niche, go deep.

Own a narrow slice of the market. Think AI analytics for podcasters or invoicing for landscapers.

Solve one pain, be the obvious pick.

2. Stop hoarding context.

Memory is a cost. Use scratchpads, RAG, short-term storage. Keep only what drives decisions.

3. Automate before you hire.

If a task repeats, script it. Try: Capacity (support), Zapier (ops), testRigor (QA).

Humans come last, not first.

4. Make your systems learn.

When AI fails, log the fix. Turn it into a rule. Close the loop. Compound accuracy.

5. Build a simple flywheel.

Build in public → Launch a tool → Automate → Upsell.

Scale what works, strip what doesn’t.

Margin isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing less, better, and letting leverage do the heavy lifting.

A founder recently asked:

Here’s the thing:

More money might feel safer, but it usually costs you more than it helps.

Raising isn’t about how much you can raise. It’s about how much you can use well.

Here’s how to think about it:

1. Raise for milestones, not comfort.

Fund what you need to prove, not to “feel safe.”

Ask: What needs to be true for the next investor to say yes?

2. More cash = slower decisions.

Too much money early shifts your mindset from must-do to nice to try. That kills momentum.

3. Dilution lasts forever.

Every extra dollar now compounds down the line. Early over-raising is expensive.

Ask yourself:

→ What’s my real burn and runway?

→ What proof do I need before the next round?

→ What would I actually do with the extra $500K? (If the answer’s “hire more,” think twice.)

Plenty of greats (Zapier, Retool, Deel) raised <$1M pre-PMF. They weren’t underfunded. They were focused.

Raising isn’t the goal.

Proof is.

Send it my way, just hit reply.

Before you go…

Startups used to move like rush hour traffic.

Designers waiting on devs. Marketers are waiting on design. Founders waiting on… everyone.

Now?

One founder can design, build, test, and ship before most teams finish stand-up.

Speed isn’t just an advantage. It’s the moat.

See you next Thursday,

— Mariya

Hit reply and let me know. I read every single one (for real).

Hey, I’m Mariya, a startup CFO and founder of FounderFirst. After 10 years working alongside founders at early and growth-stage startups, I know how tough it is to make the right calls when resources are tight and the stakes are high. I started this newsletter to share the practical playbook I wish every founder had from day one, packed with lessons I’ve learned (and mistakes I’ve made) helping teams scale.

Mariya Valeva

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