Here’s the truth: you don’t need a massive budget or a big team to launch. In this episode, I break down how to validate, market, and sell in a way that protects both your cash and your capacity. I share the lessons I learned from my first business, why perfectionism and control led me to burnout, and the practical systems I now use to go to market sustainably.

I share:

• What I would do differently to avoid burning cash and burnout
• Why you must validate before you build and how to do it fast
• The exact survey and interview approach to co-create with your ideal customer
• When to avoid paid ads and the signals that you are ready to use them
• A simple, sustainable sales funnel from traffic to nurture to conversion
• How to automate parts of your funnel so sales are not dependent on you
• My daily burnout thermometer and how I intervene before I hit the wall
• The self-care menu I use with low, medium, and high effort options

RESOURCE MENTIONED 

→ Free GTM Essentials Course: https://selinaho.com/gtm-essentials

START YOUR BUSINESS

→ Start a business with the free Build a Sustaining Business program: https://selinaho.com/basb

→ Define your version of success and build a blueprint to achieve it inside the free Your Success Roadmap: https://selinaho.com/roadmap

SCALE YOUR BUSINESS

→ Free GTM Essentials Course: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoxqvwU4q36bTLn_CVAaeyHPd2bjxIEz_ 

→ Secure Your Winning GTM Strategy: https://selinaho.com/consulting 

LET’S CONNECT

→ Newsletter: https://ceo-confessions.beehiiv.com  

→ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/selinaho  

→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selinajho   

→ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@selinajho_ 

TIMESTAMPS

00:18 My First Business

00:36 The Perfectionist Trap

01:11 Wasting Money on Ads and PR

01:41 Validate Before You Build

02:46 How to Validate Your Idea

03:48 The Costly Mistake of Not Validating

04:46 Focus on One Social Media Platform

06:39 The Importance of Email Marketing

06:59 Avoiding Premature Paid Ads

08:25 Building a Sustainable Sales Funnel

11:22 How to Prevent Burnout

13:09 Daily Check-ins and Self-Care Menu