How not to burn out as a technical SaaS founder
Today’s advice post is by Dan Lesley, Founder of Homestar. Dan has over 20 years building, growing, and selling SaaS tech startups.
Building Homestar, our CRM for real estate agents, has taught me plenty about burnout. Last month I caught myself coding at 3am again, my fourth coffee getting cold beside me. Been there too much lately. Running a tech startup while trying to keep the bigger picture in focus isn’t a walk in the park.
I used to think marathon coding sessions meant I was being productive. What a joke. My code got messier the longer I stayed up, and my problem-solving turned to mush. Nothing like spending 6 hours on a bug that took 15 minutes to fix after a good night’s sleep.
These days I keep it simple - 3 to 5 main tasks daily. No more endless to-do lists that just collect dust. Sometimes urgent stuff pops up (like when our database decided to throw a tantrum last week), but having clear priorities helps me stay on track.
Letting go of control was rough. Our team’s small but solid, and I had to learn that they don’t need me hovering over every decision. Turns out my lead developer writes cleaner code than I do for certain features. Who knew?
Sometimes I still fall down the tech rabbit hole. Just spent two days optimizing a query that probably didn’t need it. Taking walks helps clear my head - found the solution to our notification system bug while grabbing coffee down the street.
Boundaries matter. The startup world loves to glorify the “always hustling” mentality, but that’s garbage. I need time to zone out watching bad TV or playing with my kids. Makes me sharper when I’m working.
- Block out specific work hours and stick to them (mostly)
- Keep the bedroom laptop-free
- Guard your personal time for exercise or family
Getting outside perspective helps too. My neighbor runs a bakery and gave me great insight about our user onboarding process. Fresh eyes see things differently.
Learning to say no was huge. Used to jump at every “opportunity” until I realized most just drained my energy. Now I’m pickier about what gets my attention.
I check in with myself regularly now. Usually during my morning coffee. If I’m dreading opening my laptop, that’s a red flag.
Started Homestar because I saw how much time agents waste on clunky systems. When things get rough, remembering that mission helps push through the tough days.
None of this is revolutionary stuff. Just practical things that keep me going without burning out. Maybe some of it’ll work for you too.
Catch you later,
Dan