What is the most difficult stage in the startup in your opinion?

Design and Operations

Before the launch

Taking it from 0 to 1.

Maybe the early scaling phase. Balancing the need for quick expansion with maintaining product quality, culture, and managing limited resources can be incredibly challenging.

Getting initial traction and customers is definitely the hardest in my experience. Refining the product, marketing, and achieving product-market fit takes a lot of iterations before you get it right. Just gotta keep at it and not get discouraged!