If you’ve ever bought IKEA furniture, you know the phrase: “some assembly required.” The box arrives flat, the instructions are cryptic, and halfway through you wonder if you’re missing a screw—or your sanity.

Startups are much the same. They don’t arrive fully assembled. They show up as raw ideas, scattered parts, and a hopeful vision of what the end product might look like. The founder’s job is to put it all together. And just like flat-pack furniture, it’s harder than it looks.

Time and Effort. Startups always take longer and require more energy than you expect. What feels like a weekend project often turns into months—or years—of trial and error.

Complexity. The “instructions” (advice, books, accelerators) don’t always match your unique business. Sometimes you discover missing pieces—funding, talent, or even the right customers.

Hidden Costs. That “cheap” startup idea? It usually requires more tools, capital, and professional help than you budgeted for.

Delays. Just when you’re eager to launch, you realize something critical isn’t ready yet. The waiting can test your patience.

Emotional Toll. Frustration, self-doubt, and exhaustion are part of the process. But so are perseverance, resourcefulness, and resilience.

The metaphor holds: building a startup, like assembling a piece of furniture, is messy, often frustrating, and rarely goes as smoothly as you hope. But when it finally comes together—when the product works, the customers are happy, and the vision stands upright—you forget the struggle and admire what you built with your own hands.

After all, some assembly is always required.

John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

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