Jason M. Lemkin says founders burn out when they run out of money. Keep 12 months of runway minimum, 24 months after fundraising, and 36 months removes most money stress. Longer runway beats lifestyle cuts.
12 months
24 months
36 months or more
Earn less money. Make sure if you raise Money it lasts 24 months. Make sure you always have 12 months of Runway. If you always have at least 12 months of Runway your life will be less stressful. But trust me if you've run a startup and all of a sudden that clock doesn't matter because you're cash flow positive or you have 36 months of capital or more it helps you avoid burnout. One less massive thing to stress about as a founder, it's not going to change your life. But trust me not having to worry about running out of money is epic and ideally Never go below 12 months. Never go go get even close to that empty light on the fuel tank. Raise more or do a bridge or just lower your burn rate. I do want you to stay in a decent hotel and take a decent airline flight when you can afford it but just just burn less and you will be less stressed.
