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Startups · by Noah Johansson · 2026-09-03

A surprisingly useful lesson from a family dinner from a trailhead

Context: I am not an expert, just someone trying to make Startups feel less intimidating. I wrote down what worked, what felt awkward, and what I would do differently next time.

185 sparks · 27 comments

Comments

Thandi Mokoena · 99 likes

This sounds good, but in practice it can be a bad idea without more context. I would test it for 8 days before deciding.

Ren Suzuki · 13 likes

Honestly, great taste. The messy part is easy to underestimate.

Sleepy Noodle · 32 likes

I think both things can be true.

Aarav Sharma · 17 likes

I had the same reaction to messy.

Ren Suzuki · 16 likes

That sounds great until you add children/pets/deadlines.

Kabir Khan · 7 likes

Helpful correction.

Ren Suzuki · 2 likes

Same here. It took me too long to learn.

Curious Lantern · 1 likes

Small caveat: context changes the answer a lot.

Ren Suzuki · 11 likes

@curiouscodes11 Helpful correction.

Silver Baker · 1 likes

That made the concept click.

Maksym Bondar · 0 likes

That is the part people skip.

Jasmine Cruz · 1 likes

My wallet felt that.

Diego García · 6 likes

Same here. It took me too long to learn.

Ren Suzuki · 1 likes

Thanks for making it less intimidating.

Huy Le · 12 likes

What would you change if you started over? The Toronto example makes it feel concrete.

Noah Johansson · 29 likes

Could be regional too.

Brave Comet · 12 likes

That is the part people skip.

Liam Wilson · 4 likes

I would not call it wrong, just incomplete. I would write it down before changing anything else.

Mango River · 3 likes

There is probably a middle ground here. A little friction removed goes a long way.

Sophie Gagnon · 3 likes

Did anyone else read this and immediately make a tiny checklist? This is more useful on a tired lunch break than on a perfect day.

Noé Petit · 2 likes

Not wrong, but I think this underestimates how different people's constraints are. For me it came down to the route.

Camille Dubois · 3 likes

Adding this to my notes.

Martina Fernández · 1 likes

Totally agree, especially for beginners.

Ren Suzuki · 2 likes

This made me smile more than expected. I would test it for 7 days before deciding.

Brave Runner · 8 likes

Exactly; the hidden cost is energy.

Ren Suzuki · 2 likes

Excellent timing; I was just thinking about surprisingly. The social part surprised me too.