5 Things I Learned the Hard Way

I thought i knew what it took—these 5 lessons proved me wrong

Author

Irina Constantin
February 20, 2025

Since I started posting consistently, my inbox has been flooded with questions like: “How do I start a legit business?” “How do I know what path to take in life?” “When do I know it’s time to switch careers?”

Looking back, here are 5 things I learned the hard way:

1. Things take way longer than you thing

Let me say that again.

Things take way longer than you think.

I was talking to my mentor a while ago, and he asked how I felt about everything — moving continents, settling into a big city, building a remote business, navigating the current political and economic shifts. I told him, “Honestly, I feel excited!”

He said, “Good. Hold on to that feeling. When things get tough, that excitement will keep you going because everything will take longer than you expect.”

He was right. If I had known how long certain things would take, I might have thought twice about starting. But what I didn’t know is that those detours, those unexpected challenges, led me to some of the best opportunities.

The good news? You get better at estimating over time. You get better at predicting. And once you’ve gone through it once, you have a playbook for the next time.

VAUNT isn’t my first business. I started over a decade ago, making 2D and 3D assets for games. I didn’t even know what entrepreneurship was back then. I just knew I wanted to build things. And along the way, I built and failed at several startups. That’s what brought me here.

2.Document everything

One of the main reasons I started posting online was to document my journey. I was talking to someone recently who said, “There aren’t enough real stories about how people actually get started.” I agree.

We often think what we know is obvious, but it’s not. Sharing your process can help someone in ways you never imagined. Plus, when you document everything, you create a reference for yourself when you hit a wall later.

3. Community is everything

I spent most of my 20s as a lone wolf. I thought if I built something great, people would just notice. That’s not how it works.

If people don’t know what you’re working on, how can they support you? I wasted so much time thinking “my work will speak for itself.” Nope.

You need to put yourself out there.

There will always be someone with a better product, a better business, or better skills. What will set you apart is the community around you. Find people who push you, who give you honest feedback, and who want to see you win.

4.Sometimes the only way is out is through

From the outside, my life might look exciting — living in NYC, building a business. And it is. But the past year has also been full of really hard moments. Some I’ll share eventually; others I’m still processing.

Life happens alongside your work. You can’t plan for everything. Personal losses, big client deals falling through, getting 20 no’s in a day. Some days you still have to show up through all of that.

Looking back on 2024, I honestly don’t know how I did it. Some days, it took everything in me just to keep going. But that’s what builds resilience.

If you’re in a tough spot right now and it feels like the odds are against you, you’re not alone. Sometimes the only way out is through.

5.Repeat yourself (again and again)

This is something I only really understood recently.

What’s obvious to you isn’t obvious to others. You have to repeat yourself over and over.

A quick story from VAUNT: We launched a new feature on February 14 and gave exclusive access to a small group of clients. On day one, only 1 out of 20 people responded.

We followed up, shared more details, and asked for feedback. Finally, someone replied and said some things were unclear, but they were excited to try it.

If we hadn’t followed up and explained the value again, we wouldn’t have gotten that response.

I once read that you need to say something 15 times before your team really understands it. Watch any early Jeff Bezos interview, and you’ll hear him talk about being “customer-obsessed.” He’s still saying it today.

I wanted to share these lessons because it took me way too long to learn them. If this helped you, let me know! Reply to this email or, better yet, post about it on X or LinkedIn and tag me.

Let’s keep building.

A few words about me

I’m Irina Constantin—entrepreneur, educator, and avid reader with over a decade of experience in the tech industry. I’m the CEO and co-founder of VAUNT, a bootstrapped, profitable pro-tech startup transforming how residential developers sell properties worldwide.

I started my entrepreneurial journey at 21, founding a software development agency focused on B2B and B2C products. Today, I’m building VAUNT into the operating system of the residential industry. In 2024, over 73 developers actively use our platform to manage more than $1 billion worth of properties.

I’m passionate about leveraging technology to solve real estate challenges and committed to building solutions that create lasting impact. My work has earned me recognition, including being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2022.

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