One thing I tell startups all the time is that the best way to grow is to make their product better.
Another way of looking at this, is that the best companies are almost always mission oriented.
The way to have a company that executes well is you have to execute well yourself.
If you don't love and believe in what you're building, you're likely to give up at some point along the way.
There's no way I know, to get through the pain of a startup without belief that the mission really matters.
The way you get deals done and the way you get good terms, is to have a competitive situation.
Losing focus is another way that founders get off track.
When it comes to starting startups, in many ways, it's easier to start a hard startup than an easy startup.
Or a way to stay on strangers couches, that just sounds terrible all around.