A free weekly newsletter by Carter Brown

First Time Founders

F*ckups, failures & lessons learned

I spent five years building my first company and made a lot of expensive mistakes. Every Wednesday I write one down: what happened, what it cost, and what I'd do instead. So you can skip it.

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Carter pitching his first company on stage
What lands in your inbox

Real mistakes. Real fixes.

One real mistake

The decision, the context around it, and what it actually cost me in time, money or momentum.

What I'd do instead

The fix, written plainly enough that you can use it on Monday.

Five minutes

Short enough to read before your first meeting. No fluff, no guru talk.

Carter on the phone on a boat
About

Hey, I'm Carter.

I founded GoGuide, software for the outdoor industry, and ran it from 2020 to 2025. I was in every part of it: product, sales, pricing, renewals and the hard calls nobody posts about.

Now I'm in Denver at Lincoln Labs, a venture studio, helping founders build. Outside of work you'll find me on a trail. Ultras, bowhunting, anything in the mountains.

Same lesson in both places: it's a long game. Climb, hit the valley, keep moving.

First Time Founders

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