4 Lessons Learned from Our Early Years Building Venteur

Today marks a special day for Venteur — we’re four years old! I’m grateful to our customers, employees, investors, and the many mentors who helped shape us into the company we are today. And together, we've learned a lot. In celebration of this milestone, I'm sharing four lessons learned from these past four years.

1. Shoot Your Shot. More People Want to Help than You Know. 

It’s incredible how many people have raised their hands to offer their time, advice, introductions, and capital over the years. The world is full of people willing to help — you just need to ask. And sometimes, you don’t even have to ask. 

For example, we landed one of our most significant contracts through a DM on Twitter.

I periodically search social media to see who is talking about ICHRA. Back in 2022, there weren’t that many. Fun fact: Ichra also happens to be a town in Pakistan, and that town had a more significant search volume back then.

My search led me to a CFO of a regional health plan. I DM-ed him, and within just a  few weeks, we had our first enterprise contract contract in hand. All brokered by this contact. This all started with a cold DM on Twitter. That CFO serves as a friend and advisor to this day.

This is just one example, but there have been many moments where people have supported us. We are beyond grateful to all of you. I share this story for any startup founders watching our journey: so many people are rooting for your success. Shoot your shot.  

2. Every 6 Months, You Becomes a New Company.

Venteur has been fortunate to experience multiple periods of explosive growth. In our first year, we saw our business grow from $10K MRR to $150K MRR in 45 days. We’re currently experiencing similar growth. 

This pace of growth forces us to reinvent ourselves every 6 months. We have overhauled our processes, restructured our team, and adapted our product.

It’s hard work. With every reinvention, everyone on the team gets an implicit promotion. That’s why startups provide unparalleled opportunities for personal and professional development.

3. Stay Grounded & Solve Real Problems.

It’s easy to get distracted by all the glamorized aspects of being a “startup founder” — attending pitch events and raising venture capital. But here’s the truth: the best money you’ll ever make is the money you earn by solving real problems.

If you're not spending time building a product that solves a real pain point for a business or family, you’re not creating something that deserves to exist. Period. 

It’s easy to get sidetracked by the external "startup culture," but I’m proud that the team has kept their eyes on the prize — focusing on delivering value to our customers daily. 

4. "Act with Kindness" is Our North Star Value

We adopted “Act with Kindness” as our top value during our first Open Enrollment season. For those who don’t know, Open Enrollment is a chaotic and stressful time for anyone in the health insurance industry, and we were no exception.

The reality is that people don’t call about health insurance because they’re having a great day. They’re often navigating some of the most stressful moments in their lives. Sometimes, they just look for someone to show them compassion and competence. We learned that how you show up in those difficult moments can make all the difference.

Kindness isn’t just about how we treat our customers but also how we treat ourselves. Running a startup is hard. There are long days, tough decisions, and countless moments of self-doubt. In those moments, it’s easy to be hard on yourself. I’ve learned that the same principle applies: kindness matters. 

As we enter Venteur’s fifth year, I’m excited to continue learning, growing, and evolving.Thank you for being part of this journey!