When we launched the VHTB podcast, we weren’t trying to become professional podcasters. We just kept having conversations that felt too valuable to leave behind closed doors.

So we started recording.

I teamed up with Seyka Mejeur (my partner and co-founder at AdAstra Talent Advisors), Matt Gjertsen (SpaceX alum, strategic training expert, and Founder of Better Every Day Studios), and Justus Kilian (Partner at Space Capital) to talk about what makes startups succeed – or fail. Our conversations have been filled with laughs, insights, and honest perspectives from three very different corners of the startup world.

Here are three of the top lessons from the podcast that I think every founder should hear:

1. A founder’s storytelling ability will make or break early traction.

Pulled from: EP7 – How important is storytelling for effective leadership?

Being brilliant isn’t enough. Founders, CEOs, and really anyone involved in fundraising or hiring need to become exceptional storytellers. Early-stage success depends not just on the tech or the product, but on your ability to make others believe in the gravity of what you’re building.

It’s so much more than spinning a tale. It’s about translating a big vision into something others can understand, rally around, and invest in. We see this often – it’s one of the biggest obstacles to success for founders. Storytelling won’t get you all the way there, but it’s one of the non-negotiables.

2. As a founder, if you don’t deliberately craft your culture early on, someone else will do it for you.

Pulled from: EP6 – When does a company need to start thinking about culture?

Early-stage founders tend to obsess over product and engineering. Culture? That comes later, right?

Not exactly. Culture starts forming from day one, whether you’re intentional about it or not. The people you bring in, how you handle decisions, how you communicate as a team – all of it is shaping your company’s DNA.

And if you’re not setting the tone, someone else is. Cleaning up a misaligned culture is way harder (and more painful) than building it right the first time.

3. Founders aren’t maximizing their startup’s hiring process if they’re not including the CEO.

Pulled from: EP8 – What are the most common early missteps you see with a company?

Hiring might seem like something you delegate once you have a few people onboard. But at the early stages, the CEO should be involved in every hiring decision.

Why? Because hiring is one of the most direct ways to execute a vision, and your CEO is your visionary. They can cast a vision all day long, but as Justus put it, “vision without execution is hallucination.” Founders that recognize the importance of CEO involvement will benefit from a more aligned hiring process – and therefore much better execution of the organization’s vision.

Founders set the tone for what the company does and who gets to help build it.

First time founders that embody these lessons early on will have way more momentum than ones that don’t.

Tune in to join us for these conversions and more – all the info you need is at the base of this article.

To recap: Early stage founders often focus heavily on product. Product is essential, yes, but we’re here to help raise the flag about other critical areas that often go overlooked until it’s too late. We’ve talked about why storytelling isn’t just for pitches, and how it’s essential to early traction. We’ve explored how culture gets formed whether you design it or not, and why being deliberate from day one saves a world of pain later. And we’ve made the case that CEOs belong in the hiring process far longer than most founders think. Startups are built by people, not just products. The earlier you get that right, the more staying power you have.

Let us know what resonates, and what you’d love to hear us tackle next.

Cheers, from the VHTB crew!

The VHTB Podcast (A VC, a Headhunter, and a Trainer Walk Into a Bar) is your guide to the talent, culture, and finance side of the space startup ecosystem, brought to you by:

Myself & Seyka Mejeur from AdAstra Talent Advisors

Matt Gjertsen from Better Every Day Studios

Justus Kilian from Space Capital

Listen here:

VHTB Podcast: https://vhtb.captivate.fm/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2JfAC9dMJGMskww1CxMCN4?si=30debfe4a6b4481a

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/cr/podcast/a-vc-a-headhunter-and-a-trainer-walk-into-a-bar/id1789405828?l=en-GB