Framing success: It’s not luck, it’s reps

Author

Michael van Lier
March 28, 2025

Startups are messy. Studios? Even messier. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s this: success doesn’t just happen, it’s framed, over time, through choices, discipline, and uncomfortable truths.

Great founders don’t wing it. They test. They adapt. They obsess over the real signals and ignore the noise. Success ain’t luck—it’s reps. Speed over polish. Learning over ego. Execution over vibes.

At Builders, we’re not building for a highlight reel. We’re building for resilience. We frame success not through early praise or polished decks, but by validating the problem, talking to customers, and doing the hard work that actually compounds.

So here’s what framing success really looks like, inside our studio and across our ventures.

The startup illusion: Polished ≠ Proven

Let’s get this out of the way: early-stage branding doesn’t matter. You can have the cleanest logo, tightest font pairings, and a tagline that makes your ex wish they’d invested—but none of it means anything if you haven’t proven the problem.

As Darko put it: “You’ll get it wrong. I can promise you that.”

The real MVP? Talking to customers. Every week. Testing new messaging. Throwing out your assumptions and learning fast. The goal isn’t to sell—it’s to understand. A landing page isn’t a brand, it’s a lab.

The moment you realise your startup isn’t a sculpture—it’s a science experiment—you unlock speed. Iteration isn’t failure. It’s progress.

So, stop comparing your v0.1 to someone else’s v3.7. You're supposed to be behind. That’s where the learning happens.

Studio: Framing the future, fast

This month, we’ve been sharpening the focus on what it means to frame success. Not just once, but over and over again.

  • Startup Studios, Deconstructed. Michael sat down with Matthew Burris to cut through the fluff. If you’re a founder, studio operator, or just studio-curious? Read this. From premature dilution to structure-obsession, they tackle it all. Spoiler: success starts with execution, not the perfect PowerPoint. 🔗 LINK

  • Real talks @ AWS: Our first Amsterdam event brought raw lessons and zero sugarcoating. From near-bankruptcy to 7 surviving startups, Eric Carbijn dropped truth bombs that hit home. 🔗 LINK

  • Brand new Universe: We didn’t plan a rebrand. We drifted into it. New gradients, new clarity, same Builders underneath. Giorgio walks you through how our identity evolved without forcing it. 🔗 LINK

Our ventures: Built to earn belief

We're not in love with ideas, we're obsessed with solving problems better than anyone else. That’s how we frame lasting success.

  • Avery launch vibes 💙: Still buzzing from Avery’s launch party. Huge thanks to everyone who showed up, spoke up, and shared their love. It wasn’t just a party. It was a signal. A reminder that behind every startup is a community. 🔗 RECAP HERE

  • Everday sneak peek 👀: We’ve been quietly working on a big re-design of Everday, and it’s almost ready. Curious to see what’s coming? Hit us up for an early look. No spoilers, but we’re seriously excited about this next chapter.

  • More in the lab: We’ve got 3 more ventures deep in validation right now. We’re learning fast and framing hard. Obsessing over real pain, not founder gut feels.

👀 What we’re reading:

Final thought: Fall in love with the problem, not your pitch

Framing success isn’t just about polish or funding announcements, it’s about learning faster than the next team. About resisting the urge to fall for your own solution and doubling down on real-world signals.

At Builders, we’ve seen what works. We’ve also felt what doesn’t. The secret isn’t in skipping mistakes—it’s in collecting the right ones, and iterating with discipline, not despair.

So as we roll into spring, here’s our mindset: Don’t scale too early. Don’t pitch before you’ve validated. And please, for the love of startups, talk to your customers.

More to come. More to build.

Forward, always,

Michael van Lier
Managing Director at Builders