The hustle porn trap: Why the real builders aren't flexing on social
Don't get faked by the "faking till they make it" crowd.
Let's talk about a phenomenon we've all witnessed - the explosion of "entrepreneur content" that's more about selling courses than building actual businesses.
While scrolling through my feed this week, I noticed something that's been bothering me for years - 99.9% of startup advice (especially in SaaS) comes from people whose only real product is their content about being successful.
It's an entire industry built on preying on the insecurities of first-time founders. Just like parenting advice or fitness programs, it's bloated with pseudo-scientific "systems" and "secrets" that promise shortcuts to success.
But here's the truth - if you're looking for advice from truly successful entrepreneurs, you won't find them creating daily LinkedIn posts about their morning routines or selling courses on "how to 10x your startup in 30 days."
Why? Because they're actually running their companies.
The most valuable startup advice could fit on a napkin:
Validate your ideas with real users ASAP.
Gather feedback and build iteratively, shipping fast.
Don't overthink scaling—use boring tech, boring GTM, and just do the work.
Selling and marketing is the hard part, not building.
There are no shortcuts—just consistent work.
Hire your first employees carefully and treat them like family.
Whatever you achieve, luck played a role
That's basically it. No need for a 12-week course or mastermind group.
The marketing world has fallen victim to this same trap. Every day I see "growth hackers" and "7-figure agency owners" sharing their "secret 10-step process" - but when you look closely, their only real success is selling the dream to others.
This creates a dangerous ecosystem where new founders and marketers chase tactics instead of fundamentals. They hop from one growth hack to another instead of doing the consistent, boring work that actually moves the needle.
Building a product people want and marketing it effectively is hard. It takes time. It's often unsexy. And it rarely follows a neat, prescriptive formula.
The most successful founders I've worked with focus on customer problems, not optimization tricks. They spend time talking to users, not crafting the perfect Twitter thread about entrepreneurship. They're obsessed with product quality and customer experience, not growth hacks.
And most importantly - they recognize that selling and marketing is actually the hardest part. Building something is just the beginning.
Take this to heart: if someone is spending hours every day telling you how to run a business, when exactly are they running theirs?
This doesn't mean you can't learn from others. But be selective about whose advice you follow. Look for people who've built something real, who speak from experience rather than theory, and who acknowledge the role of luck and privilege in their journey.
There are too many charlatans out there in the marketplace that rob you of your focus and attention and give you yet another shiny object to be distracted by.
The best marketing strategies aren't flashy tricks - they're built on deeply understanding your customer, creating genuine value, and communicating that value clearly and consistently.
So next time you're tempted by someone selling the "secret formula to SaaS success," remember that the real builders are too busy building to create content about building.
They're doing the work. And that's where you should be too.
PS. this is not to say that Linkedin influencers are not offering up valuable advice. Rather, that anyone claiming that success is easy and instantly achievable are blowing hot air. Success takes time and a lot of effort - and the tactics that some share are very helpful in that effort.
Heck, I myself try to share lots of this knowledge from my own corner of the world. The point is that there are many people completely faking it till they make it…and you want to be able to spot those folks.