Lessons learned (so far) as an introvert entrepreneur

On May 22, 2025, I had the opportunity and privilege to speak in front of a group of selected young students participating in a hackathon organized by hackai. My mission was simple yet deeply meaningful to me: to openly share my journey as an entrepreneur who started as a developer, highlighting the lessons learned, the challenges I encountered, and the personal growth opportunities I've discovered along the way.

Being an introvert myself, I particularly wanted to offer insights and practical advice to those who, like me, dream of achieving greater freedom and self-realization through entrepreneurship, despite (or perhaps even because of) their quieter personalities.

When I started my entrepreneurial journey, I quickly observed two main types of businesses. Some are profitable from day one, usually service-based businesses. Others require initial funding to develop their profitability. Given my French-Moroccan cultural background, bootstrapping, which is building a business with minimal investment, was naturally my prefered choice. Our relationship with risk and money tends to be cautious, often shaped by insecurity rather than optimism (yeah... that's the truth).

Beyond the financial aspects, entrepreneurship has taught me invaluable lessons about personal growth and ambition. Early on, I understood the importance of fully embracing my strengths and refusing mediocrity. Yet this mindset sometimes caused friction: people might interpret ambition as arrogance or unnecessary perfectionism. I learned not to compromise on my standards just because others saw things differently. Money is indeed essential, but for entrepreneurs, it primarily serves to improve the likelihood of our project's success, not simply as an end goal.

An essential realization was that entrepreneurship means solving problems for other people. Genuine curiosity about others' lives and difficulties is foundational. If you're seeking tranquility or a predictable life, entrepreneurship probably isn't the right path. For me, entrepreneurship became a continuous practice of stepping outside my comfort zone, understanding that there's always something new and important to master.

Comfort is tricky: you need a baseline level to sustain long-term efforts, but too much comfort can stifle growth. I found it crucial to regularly push my boundaries, constantly absorbing new skills and knowledge.

Over time, I also realized entrepreneurship isn't necessarily the ultimate ambition for everyone nor should it be. At one point, I considered joining an existing team as a CTO, thinking I might be happier in a secondary role. The right opportunity never emerged, not because good teams didn't exist, but simply due to timing. Eventually, I found people I'd gladly join, reminding me how critical timing and context are in our decisions.

Another powerful lesson was about humility. I observed brilliant individuals from strong academic backgrounds who often fell prey to a superiority complex. Believing success was owed to them, they underestimated the constant hard work required. Entrepreneurship rapidly dispels any illusions of entitlement.

One crucial practice I've adopted is always giving my best to people who trust and follow me. Nothing is more powerful than a unified team, and that unity is built on genuine effort and mutual respect. However, this requires sometimes blind trust in others. While some experiences might disappoint you, investing your time and trust in people consistently opens new opportunities.

I had to become okay with discomfort in other ways too like paying upfront to learn or taking risks by selling ideas before fully executing them. Initially, this went against my natural instinct for caution, but it proved crucial in creating new opportunities and connections.

Two metrics emerged as especially meaningful for me: the number of new people I meet each day and my ability to maintain quality conversations with them. I've worked consciously to improve these metrics, finding that they directly impacted my entrepreneurial success.

Instead of dwelling on what I lacked or what seemed impossible, I learned to focus strictly on the value I could deliver and the actions within my control. Playing the victim never advanced anyone's goals. Though we don't all begin our journey from the same point, it's more productive and satisfying to concentrate on possibilities rather than obstacles.

Failures inevitably happened. I also learned not to expect constant support from close friends or family. Initially, their perceived lack of support frustrated me, but I eventually understood that their apparent reluctance was not personal; often, they were already burdened by their own concerns and fears.

Accepting my weaknesses was another critical breakthrough. Being average in certain areas won't necessarily limit success. Ego and imposter syndrome plagued me frequently, but gradually diminished as I learned to see them simply as temporary feelings rather than truths.

To grow effectively, I discovered that hiring or collaborating with people smarter or more capable than myself was indispensable. I used to hesitate, worried that this could highlight my shortcomings. Now, I seek out these relationships deliberately, knowing they're the quickest path to improvement.

My perspective expanded further when I began exploring economics and game theory, understanding that entrepreneurship is about far more than hard skills. Working on my resilience also allowed my creativity to flourish. Building resilience will buy you enough time to spark innovation.

Alongside resilience, learning to work comfortably in teams and exposing myself regularly to criticism proved immensely beneficial. It strengthened my confidence and clarified my ideas. This also required a conscious effort never to judge prematurely. I've realized repeatedly that good and bad qualities coexist in everyone. There's potential common ground with any person if you look openly enough and if it aligns with your business goals.

Professionalism, perhaps more than any other single quality, became fundamental in my entrepreneurial life. Clearly communicating intentions, and consistently doing what you promise, is powerful and irreplaceable. Yes, some people inevitably take advantage of your goodwill, but I've learned that this isn't always negative, provided it helps move your project forward positively.

Above all, entrepreneurship demands courage. Not just the courage to lead but also to openly depend on others. Initially, I was hesitant to ask for help, mistakenly seeing self-reliance as strength. Entrepreneurship quickly corrected this misconception, as trying to handle everything alone became exhausting and counterproductive. Learning to ask for help turned out to be one of my most important lessons.

Lastly, I learned not to take myself too seriously. I couldn't control every outcome or constantly sacrifice my own well-being for others. Sacrifices inevitably happen, yet choosing entrepreneurship in a field I genuinely love—m (math and technology) made these sacrifices easier to accept.

Everyone defines success differently. For entrepreneurs, the relationship between time invested and immediate financial reward can feel frustratingly disconnected. I had to gradually separate the value of my time from immediate compensation. Results often arrive later, sometimes much later, as the business grows. This delayed gratification felt destabilizing at first, especially when accustomed to direct compensation.

Ultimately, my choices affect other people's lives. I've had to accept responsibility for the relationships, opportunities, and even problems my decisions create.

Over the past few months, I've felt new challenges emerging, pushing me even further outside my comfort zone: First, my team has grown to a size where it's becoming difficult to provide individual attention and guidance to everyone. Second, there's an exciting but challenging opportunity to develop a product using a dogfooding approach. Lastly, I find myself needing to spend more and more time outside the company, creating new business opportunities and maintaining strong relationships with our clients.
For all these reasons, I've decided to seek the support of a professional coach who will help me navigate this next phase with greater confidence and clarity.