10 Tips to 10x Productivity for Startup Founders in 2024 & 2025 (Part 1) 🚀

After 13 years in entrepreneurship and fundraising, and reaching over 200,000 founders in 2024

Here are the first 05 of 10 productivity-boosting tips for startup founders based on my journey:

1️⃣ Cultivate a Grand Personal Vision 🌟

Most founders excel at pitching their startup's big vision to investors.

But many lack a personal vision for themselves, which leads to:

• Feeling unfulfilled despite business success.

• Financial stability yet persistent insecurity.

• Helping others through their startup but neglecting their own well-being.

A Balanced Life Requires Growth in 6 Areas:

💰 Finances | 📖 Knowledge | 🛠 Experience | 🏋️‍♀️ Health | 🤝 Relationships | 🧘‍♂️ Spirituality

Example: At 25, I set a family goal:

• Married by 33, with 1–2 kids, and spending the first two years at home with them.

• By 31, I got married amidst the COVID crisis.

• By 34, I had my second child.

To achieve this, I redesigned my business two years in advance to operate fully remote

Allowing me to dedicate 80% of my time at home while increasing my income 2.8x in 2024 vs. 2023.

💡 Tip for Founders:

Develop a clear, personal vision—it will uplift all aspects of your life and work.

2️⃣ Start Small and Celebrate Wins 🏆

Big visions are inspiring but can lead to procrastination if you don’t start.

Begin with small, achievable steps and build momentum.

Example: When I aimed to create Vietnam's best fundraising course, I:

• Recorded a simple Zoom video and shared it on YouTube for free.

• Gathered feedback, created templates, and packaged them into a full course within three months.

• Over three years, the course evolved, and even at 20x the original price, founders continue to buy it and invite me to their boards.

💡 Tip for Founders:

Start now. Small, consistent actions lead to significant results.

3️⃣ Embrace Your Unique Niche 🌍

Your unique personality is your greatest strength. In the early stages:

• Team members join because of you.

• Investors fund because of you.

• Customers buy because of you.

Focus on being authentic, passionate, and continuously improving.

Example: When I became a Fundraising Coach, I didn’t mimic others. Instead, I:

• Shared my knowledge consistently for 1,095 days.

• Turned blog posts into a website, then a book: "Save 12 Months in Starting Up."

• Progressively joined startup boards like Vuacua.vn and Meta365.vn, creating a unique niche in the fundraising space.

💡 Tip for Founders:

Authenticity and persistence make you a unique and irreplaceable product.

4️⃣ Continuously Refresh Your Mind 🧠✨

During the economic downturns of 2023–2024, many previously successful founders lost their wealth and struggled to restart.

The strategies that worked pre-COVID-19 no longer apply to this new era.

Sticking to outdated methods will leave you behind younger, more innovative founders.

Example:

In 2022, I joined the board of directors (BOD) for Vuacua, a restaurant chain.

The company, which thrived pre-COVID-19, faced heavy losses due to its outdated business model.

To survive, we pivoted to exporting Vietnamese products to the U.S.

This bold shift required rapidly learning new export knowledge—a crucial move that:

• Revived our revenue.

• Attracted an incredible U.S. investor.

💡 Tip for Founders:

Stay adaptable. Continuously learn and innovate to remain relevant in changing times.

5️⃣ Document Everything Daily 📝📹

Many founders rely on verbal communication but fail to follow up.

They delegate note-taking to team members, leading to misinterpretations, forgotten details, and inefficiencies.

This issue worsens as the company scales, causing chaos not only in business but also in personal interactions with partners, friends, and family.

The Solution:

Be the one to document everything—through text, videos, or images. Proper documentation:

• Saves time by avoiding repetitive clarifications.

• Ensures clear, accurate communication.

• Provides accountability and transparency.

Example:

When I coach founders 1-on-1 or conduct weekly check-ins with startup BODs, I:

• Write a personal summary after each session.

• Share the notes immediately.

• Record videos of discussions and use AI tools for summaries.

This habit has saved me countless hours.

In disputes over what was said or promised (even a year later), I present my notes and videos.

The evidence silences all arguments and clears any confusion.

💡 Tip for Founders:

Document everything—you'll save 80% of the time otherwise wasted on repetitive conversations.

(End)

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