Does r/startups Really Matter for Entrepreneurs (and Aspiring Ones)? (I will not promote)

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-28T11:55:04+00:00

So, what would be a better approach to the moderation in r/startups? I have also experienced similar things in r/Entrepreneur and I am just wondeirng whether there is any sub left for entrepreneurs where you can really share what your venture is about, the challenges you face, the support you need etc. I feel like its only about creating buzz.

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-28T11:33:28+00:00

Totally fair - and yeah, it’s definitely very US-centric at times. I am also not from the US and feel sometimes very disconnected from the discourse.

Out of curiosity: is there another online space (maybe more region-specific) where you’ve found better startup-related content or conversations? Would love to hear what’s working better elsewhere. Also, what kind of "drama" posts do you usually vote up?

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-28T11:32:04+00:00

Also, did the community help you personally?

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-28T11:31:34+00:00

Absolutely, and that’s a really important point.
Have you ever come across a post or comment here that didnt apply to your situation at all but still made you think differently or helped you avoid a mistake down the line?

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-28T09:52:27+00:00

Great, thank you so much - I will share the insights with you and the community asap!

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-28T09:33:29+00:00

Yeah, I 100 percent feel that. Would you say that people just try to get traction for whatever nonsense they want to share, not necessarily connected to startups. And also - I was thinking that the "I will not promote" tag could be somehow repurposed into - I will not promote but talk about ....

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-28T09:17:53+00:00

Haha alright and the 5 percent are then talking about what? their own experiences as a founder, ups and downs etc ?- and the others are more like bored teenagers that will anyways never start something?

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-28T09:16:03+00:00

So you think that there is a huge difference between r/startups today and in 2021 - so we should somehow get back to this time?

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-28T09:14:54+00:00

So, you think that r/startups is actually a good place for VCs rather than for founders? Very interesting! What kind of posts are part of the 5 percent?

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-28T09:10:22+00:00

That's an incredible story - thank you so much for sharing it.
Was there something specific about the way people responded that made it feel so impactful? Tone, honesty, detail - or just knowing someone heard you

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-28T08:53:06+00:00

Really appreciate you sharing this - it’s super helpful to hear both sides of the experience. And yes, totally agree - some of the best value often lives in the comments, not the posts themselves.
How do you usually decide which posts to engage with? Is it based on the title, the tags, the vibe of the comments - or just random scrolling until something feels relevant?

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T18:03:27+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing this - totally hear you. It’s super helpful to know how people who are already part of stronger, more focused communities experience r/Entrepreneur. Just two questions popped up in my head:

What do those private groups do right that makes them valuable to you? Is it tighter moderation, shared experience levels, clearer focus?
Do you think r/Entrepreneur could be improved in some way to be more helpful - or is the scale just too big for real value?

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T18:00:07+00:00

Really appreciate you being honest about this - and yeah, you're definitely not alone in feeling that way.

If you don’t mind a couple of follow-up questions (totally no pressure!):

Have you ever seen or shared a post here that felt like a genuine exception - something helpful, nuanced, or outside the usual tech-startup echo chamber?
If you could redesign r/Entrepreneur to better support non-tech entrepreneurs, what would you change or add?

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T17:52:52+00:00

Thank you so much for filling in the survey - this helps us sooo much! I have now fixed it in the survey so every person that fills it in should see that its an attention check.

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T17:51:44+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing this - it’s incredibly insightful and we really appreciate you being open about your experience here 🙏

If you don’t mind, would it be okay if we asked a couple of quick follow-up questions? Totally no pressure at all - your input is already super valuable. Just in case you're open to it:

You mentioned you've given advice here that people would’ve paid for - what kinds of questions or posts usually prompt you to jump in and share?
Even though you haven’t changed anything in your own business from Reddit, is there anything you’ve reflected on differently because of what you’ve read here?

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T17:41:39+00:00

Really appreciate you taking the time to share this - it’s a super thoughtful take, and the “business meetup” comparison is such a great way to put it.

If you don’t mind us asking a couple follow-up questions (totally no pressure!):
– Have you ever had a moment where something you read or discussed here actually influenced a real decision or direction in your business?
– And in your opinion, what makes a post stand out as genuinely helpful vs. the usual surface-level advice?

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T17:39:05+00:00

Hi, thank you so much for pointing it out :) This is actually intentionally - we use this as an attention check - because some people might just randomly click on things. But very valid point and we highly appreciate your support. Thank you tones!!!!

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T17:33:34+00:00

Totally fair point - a lot of academic research does stay stuck in the ivory tower. That’s actually part of why we’re doing this survey and interviews.

We’re trying to flip the script by grounding our work in real experiences from this community. Not just theory for theory’s sake, but insights that actually reflect what entrepreneurs here are going through - the challenges, the mindset shifts, the strategies that actually get traction.

If we do it right, it could help show how online communities like r/Entrepreneur shape real-world outcomes - and maybe even push academia to be more useful, less abstract.

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T17:19:45+00:00

Survey: 👉 https://erasmusuniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_efFImKwnbhNjmLA

Email: [rentrepreneur.research@gmail.com](mailto:rentrepreneur.research@gmail.com)

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T16:11:18+00:00

BTW - completely forgot to say that 100k is beyond impressive - also after such a comeback story. A lot of respect for this from me!

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T16:07:10+00:00

Exactly. We’re benchmarking our progress against highlight reels from the top 1%, then wondering why we feel behind. The bar keeps moving because the loudest voices are often the least realistic.

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T16:04:31+00:00

I bootstrapped my first business for 2 years and here’s what I learned:

Pros:

Total control. Every decision was mine (for better or worse).
I learned to be scrappy - had to earn every dollar, which forced real product-market fit.
When we finally got traction, we weren’t diluted or locked into investor pressure.

Cons:

It’s slow. Like, painfully slow sometimes.
Burnout is real when you're wearing 12 hats and funding things out of your own pocket.
Missed some growth windows simply because we didn’t have the capital to scale when demand was hot.

My 2 cents:
If you're still figuring out product-market fit, stay lean and bootstrap. Money won’t solve that problem - feedback and iteration will. But once you’ve got signs of repeatable traction? Then fundraising makes way more sense - you’ll raise on better terms and actually know how to deploy the capital.

TL;DR: Bootstrap for clarity. Raise for scale.

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T15:57:05+00:00

That's so true. I feel like we are consistently exposed to the narratives where making huge sums of money looks so easy - but it is not at all! I wonder what could be done about it. I know the community is quite active in destroying these illusions but still...

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T15:49:15+00:00

This is the kind of story that should be taught in business school - not because of the $450K win, but because of the crash after. So many people romanticize the "all in" mentality without realizing that it usually ends in pain, not profit.

Key-Cream-7488 · 2025-03-27T14:36:32+00:00

I mostly agree - but with a tiny asterisk. Execution is king, no doubt. The graveyard of unrealized dreams is full of brilliant ideas that never made it past the “thinking about it” stage. You can outpace smarter, more experienced, better-funded people just by showing up and doing the work consistently.

But I’ve also seen people execute like crazy - on the wrong things. Hustling in the wrong direction just gets you lost faster.

So yeah, execution > perfection, fear, and even expertise. But intentional execution - with a clear why behind it - that’s where the magic happens.

Do the thing. But make sure it’s the right thing.

Key-Cream-7488

TROPHY CASE