5 Hard Truths Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know, With Ashwin Gulati

Filed in Podcasts, Previous Episodes on May 8, 2025

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn

Ashwin Gulati—startup veteran and insider—pulls back the curtain on the brutal realities of startup culture. In his candid new book, he dismantles the myths, ambitions, and hidden costs of chasing the startup dream.

The best way to start a startup?

Don’t.

Even Nvidia’s cofounder Jensen Huang, who helped build a $3 trillion company, says he’d never do it again. If you must, the real secret is not letting it consume your life.

With 97% of startups failing, the toll on entrepreneurs’ mental health, families, finances, and careers is massive—and largely unspoken. What they don’t know can destroy them.

Startups often devour lives—and success is rare.

After 30 years in the trenches, Ashwin shares five brutally honest truths you won’t find in typical business advice—but you’ll need them to survive.

Tune in to hear Ashwin’s thoughts on:

  • From your perspective, what is the number one reason startups fail?
  • Can you talk about your own experience with startups?
  • Your book contains some surprising reflections on what it means to be a startup entrepreneur. What prompted you to write it, and why did you title it Soul Venture?
  • Do you think startups are for everyone? What makes someone suited to founding a business?
  • You talk about the importance of balancing work and life. Given the nonstop pressure on startup entrepreneurs, how is that possible?
  • What happened in your own career that made you question your career choice? What, ultimately, did you decide?
  • How can entrepreneurs get to know themselves better — and better understand their own strengths and weaknesses?
  • What advice would you give to anyone starting out on a new venture?
  • Now that you’ve written this book, what’s next for you?
  • And much, much more!

Connect With Our Guest:

WEBSITE:

SOCIAL MEDIA(S)

About This Guest: ()

Ashwin Gulati has launched international ventures, helped start-ups take off or land, and copiloted complex transitions for over 100 companies in various industries in the UK, US, Spain, and France. With 30 years in the trenches, he has identified the hidden pitfalls, unspoken truths, and personal twists that ultimately determine a venture’s success or failure. He holds a BA in Economics and Mathematics from Claremont McKenna College and studied at King’s College and the London School of Economics. His new book is Soul Venture: A True Life and Death Journey into the Startup Culture.
«