FAQ
Questions founders ask, answered straight.
What heyfaina is, how it works, who it's for, and how it compares to coaches, courses, and consultants. If your question isn't here, book a consultation and ask.
What's founder coaching?
Founder coaching is ongoing 1:1 guidance for someone running or starting a company. Good founder coaching draws on operating experience and helps you make better decisions about product, customers, and direction.
What's the difference between a founder coach, a startup mentor, and a business advisor?
A mentor shares experience from their own path, usually informally and unpaid. A coach asks questions to help you find your own answers, typically in scheduled sessions. An advisor gives direct opinions on specific decisions, often in exchange for equity or fees. heyfaina sits closest to advisor: senior product judgment on your situation, with calls every two weeks and Slack in between, paid monthly.
How much does founder coaching cost?
It depends on the format and your situation. The Practice starts with a consultation, and we go through cost on the call once we know it's the right fit.
Is async coaching effective?
Async works well between calls. In The Practice we meet every two weeks, and in between you bring questions to Slack the moment they come up and get a written answer you can reread.
Who is heyfaina for?
The Practice is for founders building software or service-based businesses who are about to build, or who've built something with no users or only one or two. It fits technical and non-technical founders ready to invest in getting it right. If you already have paying customers and you're scaling, it isn't the right fit.
Who is Faina Shpund?
Faina Shpund is a product leader and founder with 20 years building products, teams, and companies. She's been a founder, a product lead, and the person brought in when something is broken. She founded heyfaina to give founders senior product judgment while they decide what to build.
What is The Practice?
The Practice is a 3 month, 1:1 program for founders building software or service-based businesses. We find a problem people already spend time or money coping with, validate it, and define the MVP. It includes biweekly calls, Slack access between calls with a reply within 24 hours on weekdays, reviews of your customer conversation transcripts, and all current and future guides. We go through cost on the consultation, once we know it's the right fit for you.
How is heyfaina different from a business coach?
A business coach usually works on goals, habits and mindset. I work on what you're building: who has the problem, whether they'll pay, and what the MVP should be.
How is heyfaina different from a course or a community like Indie Hackers?
Courses are one-way content. Communities like Indie Hackers or Reddit give you many voices of mixed quality. heyfaina is one experienced operator giving you a personal read on your specific situation, with the context to push back when it matters.
How is heyfaina different from a paid advisor or consultant?
A consultant usually does the work for you. In The Practice you do the legwork and I work through the analysis, decisions and spec with you.
How fast does Faina respond?
Within 24 hours on weekdays, usually within a few hours. If she's traveling or off for a weekend she lets you know in Slack.
What kinds of questions can I bring?
Anything about finding the right problem, validating it, and defining the MVP. Who has the problem, what they've already tried, what a customer conversation told you, and what to build first.
Do I need to be technical to work with Faina?
No. Plenty of the founders I work with don't write code, and we figure out what to build before anyone builds it.
What commitment does The Practice require?
A 3 month commitment. After that, it's month to month for as long as it's useful.
Does heyfaina offer free advice or a free trial?
There's a consultation to see if The Practice fits, a free workshop, and founder guides. The Practice is paid 1:1 work, and we go through cost on the consultation once we know it's the right fit.
Where is heyfaina based?
heyfaina is the practice of Faina Shpund. Everything runs remote, so location doesn't affect the work.
How do I get started?
If you'd like to read first, start with a founder guide. If you're ready to work together, read The Practice page or book a consultation.