Emylee's top 5 takeaways from startup season 4

The past month and a half have been great to me. I've gotten into Y Combinator, had two interviews with VC's and both went well. I've also managed to snag myself a few freelance gigs while I'm 'offseason'. Though startup season might be over for me, I wanted to take some time to reflect on my experience at YC and write a blog post about what you should expect if you make it into the program.

Here are my top 5 takeaways from startup season 4 that I learned so far.

It can be easy to make excuses.

Startup Season 4 has been an amazing experience for me. I had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and learn about how they are making an impact in their communities. When you’re a business owner, it can be easy to make excuses for why you aren’t doing what you really want to do or why one thing is more important than another.

For example, I created a blog post on my website but didn’t get it done because I was busy with other things. After Startup Season, I realized that if I don’t make time for what matters most (like writing), I won't have time to grow my business or reach my goals!

So here are some of my top takeaways from Startup Season 4: Make time for what matters most: You don’t have to give up everything else in your life to make progress on your biggest goals, but you do need to make time for them each week or month. Whether it's 30 minutes or 2 hours, schedule it in and prioritize it!

Be resourceful: There will always be something that comes up that gets in the way of your plans.

You don’t have to have the answers for everything before you start.

There are plenty of reasons why you should be watching Startup Season. If you’re a founder, it’s a great way to stay up to date on what’s happening in the ecosystem. If you’re an investor, it’s a great way to get a front row seat into what makes founders successful (and not so successful).

And if you don’t know anything about startups or investing, it’s also a great place to learn more about what goes into making a successful company and how people make money off of them. As someone who has been through three seasons of Startup Inc., I wanted to share some of my biggest takeaways from watching this show: You don’t have to have the answers for everything before you start.

When we started Poshmark, we had no idea how we were going to scale our logistics operations or how much time it would take us to get there. We just knew that if we did not figure out a way to do it well, our business would not work out as planned.

Don’t get stuck on the “right way”—there is no right way.

Startup Season 4 is over, and I’ve had some time to reflect on what I learned. Here are my top 5 takeaways: Don’t get stuck on the “right way”—there is no right way. You need to be flexible and willing to change at any stage of your startup, especially when you hit obstacles or roadblocks.

If you stay optimistic and open-minded, you can always find a way forward. Be careful who you choose as your co-founder (or even investors). It can be tempting to work with someone who has experience in the industry or with whom you have a personal connection. But if they don’t have the skills needed for your business, it will be difficult for them to help you succeed.

Take advantage of opportunities that come your way—even if they seem like bad ideas at first glance! Sometimes unexpected opportunities can be just what you need to take your business to the next level. For example, when we started Startup Season 4 we were only planning on running one season but it turned out so well we decided to keep going!

Simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy but it does mean you can take action right now.

You don’t necessarily need a hard-nosed business mindset to make your business successful.

I have been watching the Startup Season 4 and I am amazed at the level of competition and the quality of businesses that are being presented. If you are interested in starting a business, this is a great show to watch. It shows how hard work, perseverance and determination can pay off.

Here are my top 5 takeaways from Startup Season 4: You don’t necessarily need a hard-nosed business mindset to make your business successful. I was very surprised by how much emotion was shown during this season; it was very humanizing for entrepreneurs and investors alike. You do not have to be cutthroat to succeed in business; there is room for compassion and empathy as well.

It’s okay to change your mind about what you want to do with your life! The most touching moment in this season was when Dylan shared that he did not plan on going into business with his father, but after spending time with him, he decided it would be fun and they should give it a try together.

Dylan was so open about his feelings that we got an inside look at what it takes to start a business with family members (especially when they don’t always see eye-to-eye).

To Sum Up

Startup Season 4 was by far my most memorable season, the place where I forged my closest friendships and made the best connections. I learned that if you're hard-working, kind, and genuinely passionate, success will find you. Season 5 is just around the corner, and I cannot wait to call Venice Beach my home for another six weeks.

Startups are in my blood now; it's all I think about, day in, day out. I'm sure of it. It's an obsession...that perhaps borders on insanity. But the reality is there are no other jobs that can offer me experiences this great. Screw it, I don't want to work any other job than a startup ever again.

It's a dream come true to me.