resylla

I just published a deep retrospective on my blog about going from a corporate CTO to a solo founder. You can read the full story with all the data here: https://resylla.com/blog/from-cto-to-solo-founder

### 5 Hard Lessons I Learned

#### 1. The "Corner Case" Trap

I obsessed over edge cases users might never see.

Lesson: For an MVP, aim for "Wow" on the core feature. Don't try to cover every boundary condition. If the product is amazing, users will forgive the occasional glitch.

#### 2. Coding in a Silo (The "Not Invented Here" Syndrome)

I hand-coded for 1.5 years, convinced that AI-generated code was trash. Meanwhile, tools like Cursor and Claude Code were revolutionizing development. I was arrogant.

Lesson: I eventually used Codex to refactor my legacy code in 2 months. If I had embraced AI tools earlier, I would have saved a year.

#### 3. Energy Management > Time Management

Building a complex product requires deep thought. I tried every productivity hack, but here is what works:

* 07:00 - 12:00: Deep Work (Architecture, complex logic).

* 13:00 - 18:00: Execution (Coding, bug fixing).

* 19:00+: Gym.

Environment: I go to a coffee shop for brainstorming. I only work from home for mindless tasks.

Lesson: Working from home killed my efficiency. I thought I was disciplined, but the environment matters.

#### 4. It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

In the beginning, I woke up at 4 AM out of excitement and coded until midnight. Result: Burnout. Insomnia. And code written at midnight often had to be rewritten the next morning.

Lesson: Now, I have strict boundaries. No coding after 8 PM. Consistency beats intensity.

#### 5. Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

I have enough savings to live for decades. Yet, I wasted hours trying to save pennies on API costs or server fees.

Lesson: I wasted my most valuable asset—**Mental Energy**—to save money I didn't need to save. Focus on the product, not the penny-pinching.

I go into much more detail about the tech stack and the specific mistakes in the full article. Let me know what you think!