Microsoft ad contract was a costly lesson in the reality of long-term success.
We got a six-figure advertising contract with Microsoft, but it was a waste of time and money and didn't lead to success.
Founders often think success is inevitable in the first two and a half years, but many successful companies take 8-10 years and have constant setbacks.
Launching a startup is a lot of hard work with no fanfare, and can be discouraging if people don't care or hate it.
People often have unrealistic expectations of a launch, expecting it to be like a movie, when in reality it's usually just people typing at their keyboards punctuated by boring conversations.
Launching a startup is a way to flush out ideas and get feedback, but it can be discouraging if people don't care or hate it.
Startup launches are the opposite of movie premieres, with nobody caring for a long time before eventually gaining attention.
Early Facebook development was a lot of coding and graphs, with no music or excitement, just the joy of launching a new school.
Movies can be inspiring but they can also mess up people's perception of what is normal and lead to legal issues.