New York City Chapter Member – Tim Struby of toTree.co

Q. Describe what your company does in 25 words or less.
A. Automated furniture shopping service: bridging the gap between Interior Design and DIY

Q. Why does the world need your company?
A. Because furniture shopping sucks. Not only do we provide quality products (none of our brands offer ‘disposable’ furniture), but I personally learned how great furniture can improve life in many ways.

Q. If you were a hero/villain, what would be your origin story?
A. Mine would be of the Horatio Alger variety. Someone who started with very little and created the successful life he dreamed of. Not necessarily monetarily, but whatever he set his mind to, he achieved. On his own.

Q. What has been the biggest win for your company?
A. Getting to where we are now. It hasn’t been easy. Or perfect. But as someone who knew nothing about furniture, tech, or business – and carefully bootstrapped their way to strong traction and early sales – we’ve already defied most odds.

Q. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made along the way?
A. Where to start? haha. I’d say not heeding some of the advice I’d gotten/read about. But sometimes the best lessons are learned the hard way.

Q. What do you like most about being a founder?
A. The potential of making the world a better place, even in the smallest of ways

Q. What is the hardest thing about being a founder?
A. When I quit writing to become a solo founder, I thought it would be a less lonely experience. It’s not. Without question, that’s the hardest part for me.

Q. What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome as a founder?
A. The rewriting of my brain. I can outwork most people. I have a high tolerance for suffering. I can learn just about anything. But the startup life is so radically different than the writer’s life, it’s been a struggle to ‘reprogram’ myself.

Q. What’s your favorite hack for dealing with the demands of running a startup?
A. I always turn to a few great books. They both inform and inspire.

Q. What were you doing before you started working on your company?
A. I was a writer/journalist for 20 years.

Q. If you weren’t building your company, what else would you be doing now?
A. I’d be finishing my second novel.

Q. What advice do you have for founders who are two stages behind you?
A. Listen to those wiser and more experienced than you. While it might not seem applicable at the moment, it is.

Q. How has Startup Haven helped you on your journey?
A. My lack of a network/community has always been terribly challenging and even as a new member, I feel a connection and part of something bigger than myself. It’s hard to express the value of this.

Q. What superhero power would help founders most?
A. The ability to see the future

Q. What do you need… what’s your “ask”?
A. I’d love a handful of sharp, experienced startup folks who I respect, trust, and can rely on to a) provide insight and guidance when needed and b) tell me when I’m making poor decisions based on fear/impatience/lack of information, etc.

Q. What help can you offer to other Startup Haven member founders… what’s your offer?
A. I really do love helping others. As a former journalist who doesn’t come from this world, I can offer thoughtful, objective insights. I can help people talk out ideas (listening and asking questions are my superpowers). And of course, I can help members put any of their thoughts into words. Hell, I made a living doing that.

Q. How are your poker skills?
A. Pretty damn good….but not good enough to play with the pros.

Q. If you were to found another company (after you exit your current company) and you could choose any real person living or dead to be your cofounder, who would it be?
A. I’d choose Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani.

Q. What company would have been your company if it didn’t already exist, and why?
A. Patagonia. Not only do they offer top-quality products, but their company values and leadership have always been driven by a greater good: a place people love to work, a company that cares about the environment/sustainability, and a founder who walked the walk (by donating incredible amounts of money for valuable causes). A company that stands for more than just a product.