Lessons From the Startup Journey: What Founders Wish They Knew Earlier

Nobody hands you a manual when you start a company.

There is no chapter called “what to do when the market changes.” No section on how to keep going when the plan you believed in stops making sense. And definitely no guide for the moment you realise that building the product was only half the job.

So we asked some of the founders nominated for this years' Global Innovator Awards to share what they have learned along the way. Not the polished version. The real one.

We spoke to people building immersive technology, aerospace, legal AI, entertainment and consumer brands. Some moved countries to build in the UK. Some left stable careers to chase an idea. Some are still navigating what comes next.

Their stories are different, but the lessons overlap in a way that feels almost universal: ambition gets you started, but judgement, adaptability and a willingness to learn keep you going.

The hardest part is rarely the idea

Ask founders about the hardest part of their journey and very few talk about the original idea.

They talk about carrying the weight of uncertainty. About making decisions with incomplete information. About building a business while also building the confidence to lead it.

Xinyi Dang, Director of creative technology company BlazingFire, describes learning to stay steady under pressure as one of the biggest tests. Building a company means facing changing markets, unexpected problems and decisions without always having a clear answer.

“Persistence and patience are just as important as ambition.”

For Dang, the challenge is not simply working hard. It is knowing when to stay committed to a direction and when to adapt as new evidence emerges.

Anne-Sophie Martin-Kukah, Founder of Behind The Shelves, knows that feeling well. She moved from the financial stability of corporate contracting in the consumer goods industry into the unpredictability of entrepreneurship.

“Resilience isn’t simply about persevering. It’s about knowing when to rethink your path, making difficult choices and finding the courage to move forward, even without guarantees.”

Her company helps small consumer brands grow from online sales to retail shelves. Building it meant stepping away from an established career to create something with purpose, often with limited resources and unpredictable income.

Margaryta Sivakova, Co-Founder of Legal Nodes, has faced an even more extraordinary version of uncertainty. When the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, she became a wartime CEO while worrying about her own safety, her team’s safety and the future of the business.

“Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about making difficult decisions in uncertainty, adapting, and finding the courage to keep going even when the path ahead isn’t clear.”

Her experience reshaped how she thinks about leadership. It is less about certainty and more about courage, adaptability and the ability to keep moving when the path ahead is unclear.

The moment it becomes real

Every founder remembers the moment their idea stopped being a concept and started becoming something real.

For Xinyi Dang, it came when early interest turned into paid projects. But the moment that stayed with her came later, when she met people from a lower-resource market who had never experienced immersive technology before.

“That made me realise the technology could do more than create commercial value: it could also open up new ways for people to experience, learn and connect with the world.”

It was a reminder that innovation is not only about commercial potential. It is about the human value a product can create.

Yuxin He, Founder of YUI Entertainment, remembers her first C-pop party selling out within days. It was more than a successful event. It was proof that there was an underserved community and genuine demand for C-pop in the UK.

“Seeing people respond so quickly gave me the confidence to think beyond a single event.”

That moment changed the scale of her ambition. YUI evolved from a music-focused company into a broader entertainment business spanning film, storytelling, original IP and culture.

For Anne-Sophie Martin-Kukah, the turning point came when she saw founders turn what they had learned through Behind The Shelves into tangible progress. One founder secured a listing with Ocado. Others refined their positioning, strengthened their commercial models and approached retail buyers with greater confidence.

“Talent and innovation aren’t always the barriers to growth. Access to the right knowledge, networks and opportunities often is.”

That insight became the foundation for a bigger mission: making industry knowledge and opportunity more accessible to founders who might otherwise be locked out.

Persistence is not stubbornness

One of the most powerful lessons founders share is that persistence does not always mean pushing harder in the same direction.

Xinyi Dang learned this after becoming attached to an idea, a plan or a way of working simply because she had already invested so much in it.

“Good judgement is just as important as determination. Sometimes the better decision is to pause, listen, adjust and redirect your energy.”

When AI began changing her market quickly, she chose to evolve BlazingFire rather than abandon what the team had built. They kept the strengths in immersive technology, 3D and spatial experiences, while exploring how AI could become part of the company’s next chapter. That decision eventually led them towards spatial AI and a stronger R&D focus.

Yuxin He learned a similar lesson in entertainment. When ideas begin to work, imitation often follows. Rather than building defensively, she chose to keep moving.

“A single idea can be copied; the ability to keep creating, adapting and understanding audiences cannot be replicated so easily.”

Her advice is to stay close to audiences, creators and emerging cultural conversations. In her industry, information is not only knowledge. It is timing.

Margaryta Sivakova puts it another way: do not confuse persistence with refusing to change direction.

“Talk to customers early, test your assumptions and be willing to pivot when the evidence tells you to.”

For her, the strongest founders combine conviction with curiosity. They hold onto their mission, but stay open to changing how they deliver it.

Build the business, not just the product

Many founders discover that building something valuable and building something sustainable are two different skills.

Anne-Sophie Martin-Kukah learned this after moving from a corporate environment with established resources, teams and infrastructure into entrepreneurship.

“You can’t build lasting impact on passion alone. You need to value your expertise, set boundaries and build a business that can sustain the change you want to create.”

Her advice is to validate the problem before investing too heavily in the solution. Speak to the people you want to serve, understand what they need and establish what they are genuinely willing to pay for. Then build commercial sustainability into the business from day one.

Yuxin He learned the importance of structure alongside trust. In the early days, she sometimes relied too heavily on verbal promises and good intentions. She now believes founders should build financial and legal awareness from the beginning, even when working with people they trust.

“Trust people, but build systems that do not depend on trust alone.”

Clear agreements, responsibilities and protections, she says, are not signs of distrust. They protect both the business and the relationship.

Edmund Moyo, Co-Founder and Chief Systems Engineer at Sentian Aerospace, learned a related lesson while building an aircraft company. As engineers, he and his co-founder measured progress in engineering terms: was the design finished, had they built the aircraft?

It took time to see that intellectual property, commercial validation, partnerships and financial sustainability are progress too.

“If I could go back, I would have started treating the business side with the same discipline as the engineering much earlier.”

His advice is simple but powerful: keep honest records from day one, protect IP early and do not become too attached to the route you first planned.

Momentum comes from decisive moments

Startup journeys rarely change because of one dramatic decision. More often, momentum builds after a founder chooses to commit fully to a new direction.

For Edmund Moyo, that moment came when Sentian Aerospace incorporated in the UK in May 2024 and joined the NEXUS programme. The company already had years of design work, prototypes and intellectual property behind it, but it was still largely an engineering project.

Committing to the UK meant building a proper business around the technology: research and workshop capability, a commercial model and the accountability of regular reviews.

“That structure is what allowed us to attract serious industry interest and, in the end, see our aircraft technology acquired by an international aerospace company.”

He also credits his co-founder, Muzi, with helping sustain the journey across more than a decade, two countries and a great deal of uncertainty.

“A co-founding partnership that has lasted for over a decade, across two countries and a lot of uncertainty, doesn’t happen by accident.”

For Margaryta Sivakova, launching Legal Nodes in the UK was a defining leap. Moving beyond the company’s home market opened doors to international clients, investors and partnerships, and changed the scale of its ambitions.

Advice to your earlier self

If these founders could speak to themselves at the beginning, their advice would be refreshingly practical.

Test the market early. Believing there is a need is not the same as proving people want what you are building.

Be selective about where you focus your time. Not every opportunity deserves your energy.

Surround yourself with people who are a few steps ahead. A strong network of peers and mentors can save years of figuring things out alone.

Build commercial sustainability from the beginning. Know your costs, protect your cash flow and be realistic about the resources required to deliver your vision.

And look after yourself. Building a company is a marathon, not a sprint.

“Make sure you’re building a life alongside it and take care of your health.”

That advice, from Margaryta Sivakova, may be one of the most important lessons of all.

The journey behind the awards

The Global Innovator Awards celebrates the founders, innovators and exceptional talent building ambitious companies in the UK. But behind every finalist is a journey that rarely follows a straight line.

There are pivots, turning points, hard decisions and moments of doubt. There are also breakthroughs, sold-out events, paid projects, industry recognition and the quiet satisfaction of seeing an idea become something real.

What connects these founders is not a refusal to struggle. It is their willingness to learn from it.

They remind us that the startup journey is not simply about having a great idea. It is about having the judgement to adapt, the resilience to keep going and the courage to build something that lasts.

Explore the 2026 Global Innovator Awards finalists and meet the founders behind the journeys.

Meet our Global Innovator Awards voices

Xinyi Dang, Director, BlazingFire, Emerging Founder of the Year
Website · LinkedIn

Anne-Sophie Martin-Kukah, Founder, Behind The Shelves, Ecosystem Builder of the Year
Website · LinkedIn

Margaryta Sivakova, Co-Founder, Legal Nodes, Ecosystem Builder of the Year
Website · LinkedIn

Yuxin He, Founder, YUI Entertainment, Creative & Cultural Innovation
Website · LinkedIn

Edmund Moyo, Co-Founder & Chief Systems Engineer, Sentian Aerospace, Co-Founding Team of the Year
Website · LinkedIn