I'm currently working on a startup with no revenue and very little traction. I'm running out of money and will likely have to stop soon and go back to work.
I'm scrambling trying to figure out how to save the company in it's last days but I mostly just have no idea what I'm doing and will probably just have to get a job and try again later.
Most of my days are filled with stress and dread.
In spite of that I still love working on it and if I can find any way to continue that's what I plan to do.
My question is, for people who have been in this situation, what do you tell friends and family when they ask "how the startup is going?"
Sometimes this question feels passive agressive but more often people are just genuinely curious. It's really a pretty reasonable question.
But I don't have reasonable answers. It's both great and terrible in ways that are hard to get across in a short conversation. I don't have the time to fully explain it. Do you go with a broad "it has it's ups and downs" or something like that? Or try to explain some specific part? I find this tends to bore people.
I've been through several, none glorious but none utterly disasterous either.
It's easier answering the question when it comes from others who take and understand complicated risks too, but that's not likely many amongst your f&f!
Both your tactics / answer styles are useful and I have deployed those and others. If you want to bore them not to ask again go MOAR DETAIL! B^>