The uncomfortable truths of entrepreneurship with Irene Saliendra

Today’s conversation is about the uncomfortable truths of entrepreneurship. Something every early stage founder needs to get familiar with.

I’m sitting down with Irene Saliendra, a serial founder who has built across multiple industries, from sustainable fashion to women’s health tech, and now runs Digital Flow.

So many founder stories get told in hindsight. But when you’re in it, the reality is a lot messier.

I experienced this myself when starting a company. You’re putting yourself in rooms where you feel underqualified. You’re figuring out co-founder dynamics, equity structures, accelerators, and fundraising, often for the first time.

And sometimes you’re doing all of that while still trying to hold down a job, pay bills, and convince people your idea is worth believing in. I’m still doing this!

So it was really refreshing to sit down with Irene and talk about what it takes to move before you feel ready. Irene is sharing tips for validating your idea, how to ask better questions instead of just pitching harder, and all the unsexy, and often awkward motions you need to put in place to have healthy co-founder relationships.

We also unpack accelerators and fundraising. I imagine these things are top of mind for any founder in the early stages as it was for me. So I had Irene dive deep. You’ll learn when they’re useful, when they’re not, and what they’re actually designed to do.

But one of the most powerful takeaways from this conversation is something deeper.

Building a company doesn’t just create businesses. Those can come and go.

What entrepreneurship really builds is self-trust.

Once you’ve navigated uncertainty enough times you start to realize that no matter what happens next, you know how to begin again. And that’s a kind of confidence no one can take away from you.

If you want an honest look at what early-stage entrepreneurship actually feels like, keep listening. Because sticking through the uncomfortable parts of the journey is often exactly what changes you.

Connect with Irene:

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