The "startup life", the life of a startup founder is in fact, hard. Building a product is hard. Building a company is hard. Building anything of value is hard. It has nothing to do with a trendy crowd or a decidedly non-trendy crowd, it has entirely to do with folks who are having, have recently, or will have a lot of the same challenges as you. I'm not sure why it's hard to understand having friends who've been there, done that, or are doing it is very, very helpful. I'm glad you're able to do it all on your own, but some of us either aren't, or have realized it's a waste of time to. Being a martyr will help you much less than having the smarts to ask folks who can help you not waste time on the things that don't actually move your business forward, but can only impede progress - there's your value. Man, this kool aid is yummy ... it tastes like improving my odds ... and that tastes great!