Messy Founder

✨ 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 Hello, LinkedIn community, As you can see, I’m slowly but surely getting back into the rhythm — attending meetups, connecting with people, and presenting myself and my work again. Over the past 1.5 years, my focus shifted a bit. I invested more time in other parts of life and intentionally slowed down when it came to developing my personal brand. But it feels like this year is the right time for a comeback! Recently, I had a chance to give a short interview to Messy Founder during a digital nomad meetup in Barcelona — a small moment, but a meaningful one. It reminded me how much I enjoy sharing experiences, ideas, and conversations around work, culture, and global lifestyles. Looking forward to being more present, more active, and more visible this year — step by step. #personalbrand #networking #digitalnomad #careerjourney #newchapter #barcelona https://lnkd.in/dzbGS29E

I keep noticing how quickly my relationship with an idea can change. The idea itself is usually stable. It does not wake up tired, read feedback the wrong way, sleep badly, or compare itself to someone else’s progress. It just exists, more or less the same, day to day. What changes is me. Some days I feel clear headed and optimistic, and the idea feels obvious. Other days, nothing external is different, but the same idea suddenly feels fragile or naive. I know I’m not the only one who experiences this, especially when you’re building something alone. When you’re a solo founder or indie builder, your internal state can start to feel like the only signal you have, so doubt gets mistaken for insight. A lot of that doubt is just noise. Mood, energy, context, comparison. Not feedback. Not evidence that the idea is bad. When you’re early stage and building something personal, emotional fluctuation becomes part of the work, whether you want it to or not. This doesn’t mean feelings should be ignored. They matter. They just aren’t always reliable narrators. The hard part is that we experience ideas through emotion. There’s no neutral interface. So when confidence shifts, it can feel like the idea itself is changing, even when it isn’t. I’m trying to get better at noticing that gap. At separating evaluation from emotion. At letting ideas exist long enough to be tested, instead of rewritten daily based on motivation, fear, or self doubt. I hear versions of this from other founders all the time, which makes me think it’s less of a personal flaw and more of a shared pattern. Most days, the idea is the same. It’s our feelings that move around it.

"If you looked at my journey from the outside, you’d probably assume it all happened in a straight line. I built things, they grew, I kept going. But living inside of it has never felt linear. It’s felt chaotic in small ways and big ways, full of detours, false starts, and constant improvising." Read Sunil Sandhu's full Messy Founder story here: https://lnkd.in/eTbcF5XH If you enjoy founder stories, entrepreneurial advice and wisdom, and just want to hear more from self-starters so that maybe one day you can do the same, follow Messy Founder, and consider registering for free on messyfounder.com for free materials, resources, access to the community and to hear first about our upcoming in-person events. Our next event will be in Barcelona ☀️

What a baller! ⛹🏻♀️ Loved this interview with Olivia Nielsen, founder of DAMECORE. She’s an inspirational soul who is single-handedly building a movement for women’s basketball. 🏀 And it’s not just about sport. It’s about building a community, a clothing line, designing an aesthetic, and so much more. You can find the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/duu3yYfP Each week we feature one of your messy founder stories across our socials. Sign up for free on messyfounder.com to share your story and be in with a chance of being featured.

Is it hustle or overthinking - i can not differentiate anymore 🤷🏻♂️ #founderbrain #takeabreak #staymessy

"there are so many things to learn that you've never learned before" https://lnkd.in/dB6uCXJS

Most people were taught to chase a career ladder. Pick a path. Climb the rungs. Collect the titles. Wait your turn. But what happens when the ladder you’re climbing is leaning against a wall that no longer exists? I just published a new piece exploring the death of the traditional career ladder and the rise of something far more realistic for modern founders, creators, and multihyphenates: the career constellation. A model that makes room for: • nonlinear paths • pivots and experiments • multiple identities • hybrid skills • curiosity that actually leads somewhere If you’ve ever felt “too many things” or struggled to describe your career in a single sentence, this might hit home. The ladder was never built for people like us. The constellation is. In the full post, I break down: • why ladders no longer fit the world we work in today • how constellations turn variety and experimentation into strength • why this shift matters for the next generation of founders • how my own path only made sense once I stopped trying to make it linear If your career hasn’t looked like a straight line… maybe that’s the point. Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/dnhe9wdH