From Struggles to Strategy

What Founders Told Us, and What Helps

A recap of the Alma Rising online meetup, hosted by Laura Haydee Partida with co-host Trishala Basti.

Every founder has a list of things that keep her up at night. At our meetup From Struggles to Strategy, we put that list on the table, out loud and together. Then we shared practical strategies that help us move forward without waiting for more money, more time or more confidence to arrive first.

The struggles we named

When we asked what makes building a company hard, the same themes came up again and again:

• Time management: too many tasks, not enough hours.

• Finding a team: knowing who to trust and when to bring people in.

• Impostor syndrome: feeling like everyone else knows more.

• Loneliness: carrying decisions alone, often far from home.

• Being a mom and a founder at the same time.

• Not enough resources: limited budget, limited help.

• Lack of clarity: too many good ideas, not one clear direction.

Naming these struggles matters. As soon as one founder said them out loud, others recognised themselves. That moment, “I’m not the only one”, is where community begins.

Strategy 1: Money and community power

You don’t need a big budget. You need the right network.

• Workshops: learn the essentials together. The community teaches itself.

• Skill exchange: swap expertise with other founders. No money needed.

• Grants and EXIST: look into regional grants, startup contests and the EXIST programme for founders in Germany.

• Ask first: before you hire someone, ask the community. Someone may already know the answer or the right person.

This strategy speaks directly to limited resources, finding a team and loneliness. A strong circle often replaces what you think only money can buy.

Strategy 2: Take control of your time

Stop doing busy work. Start doing what moves the needle.

We used the Eisenhower Matrix to sort tasks into four boxes:

Tools like ClickUp can be set up around this matrix. Then we added time blocking:

1. Protect your mornings. Keep the first two hours for deep work, with no email.

2. Batch your tasks. Group similar work and put all calls on one day.

3. Leave buffers. Keep around 30% of your calendar free, because urgent things always appear.

4. Review weekly. Reset every Friday with three wins and three priorities for the week ahead.

For founders who are also mothers, buffers and batching are especially important. Your time comes in pieces, so plan for that instead of fighting it.

Strategy 3: Focus and the weekly reset

Say no to good things. Save your yes for the right ones.

We shared five priorities for early-stage founders:

1. Product-market fit

2. Your first 100 paying customers

3. Building the founding team

4. Securing runway

5. One repeatable growth channel

And one red flag: don’t share equity or business information in the excitement of a new connection. Get agreements in writing from day one.

To stay clear, ask yourself these five questions every Friday:

• What were my three biggest wins this week?

• What did not move the business?

• What are my top three priorities next week?

• Am I on track with my quarterly goals?

• What decisions am I avoiding?

The first question is also a quiet answer to impostor syndrome. Writing down your wins every week builds the evidence that you belong.

Together we have everything we need

The strongest message of the evening was simple: struggles get smaller when you share them. Thank you to Trishala Basti for co-hosting, and to every founder who spoke honestly about what is hard.

If you are an expat woman building a business in Germany, or dreaming of starting one, Alma Rising is your circle. Join our online meetups and workshops, exchange skills and find women who want you to win.