Cyrus Majebi's wall answer on TwoCents

Very packed, loaded question. I’ve got so many answers to this, but I’ll share just two. One each from my personal and professional life.  From my professional career, there’s tons of things I could share and probably should share…but I’ll pick this one. It’s something I’ve learned deeply through experience since, but many years ago, Jeremy Johnson, one of the founders of Andela, said to my friend and I at the Forbes U30 Summit in Philadelphia…he said to “wait for as long as possible before collecting external funding from investors”.What he meant was that startup founders, should do all they can to ensure their startup is at product-market fit, and the core part of the business is working or has started showing signs of success or market adoption…before seeking external funding. At TwoCents, we have done this - whether willingly or unwillingly, Lol … but it has been one of the best things to happen to us, that we haven’t taken any external funding up till this day. It has allowed us to build a great product that thousands of people love and use everyday, without the pressure or “distraction” that comes with VC funding. VC funding is quite important, but it should always come at the right time. The right time will be different from startup to startup, but yeah.  From my personal life, I’d say one thing I have learned through experience that has had a lasting impact on me, is….“Never ignore the signs” When you see something in someone you like, are dating, are getting to know, that isn’t compatible with your values, sensibilities etc talk about it with the other person, or break it off if it’s something that’s “beyond discussion”.Either way, don’t ignore it - it will almost certainly come back to hunt you, and it’ll happen when the stakes are much higher and it’s more difficult to end things/walk away.