The hardest part of Building isn’t technical.

Startups Don’t Fail Because of Code. They Fail Because of People.

One of my startups is going through a rough season. On the surface, you might think it’s about product delays, and yes, there have been plenty. The program has been unstable, we missed our September launch, and during a live demo in San Diego, the product failed in front of an audience.

But the deeper challenge isn’t technical. It’s personal.

Two of my cofounders are in conflict. One has put everything into the company, but neglected his personal finances. More than once, he’s run out of money and asked the team for loans. The other stepped in with personal cash and equity investment, but now feels trapped, frustrated, and increasingly skeptical.

What happens next is familiar to many founders… resentment builds, communication breaks down, deadlines slip, and suddenly, progress stops.

The Lesson

This experience has reminded me of something I’ve always believed: entrepreneurs don’t fail because they don’t know what to do. They fail because they can’t manage the human side of building.

The hardest part of entrepreneurship isn’t the code. It’s the conversations.

It’s being honest about money.
It’s learning to handle conflict without ego.
It’s keeping trust alive when pressure is high.

These soft skills: communication, trust, emotional intelligence are what decide whether a startup survives. Technical challenges can always be solved. But when leadership breaks, everything breaks.

Have you lived through cofounder conflict?