Camila Reyes
Camila Reyes
Entrepreneurship
Start uglier. Charge sooner. Talk to the customer before you decorate the idea.
Open the Special EditionAbout the Expert
Camila has spent fifteen years helping first-time founders go from a private obsession to a public offer. She built and sold a small operations consultancy, then spent the next decade sitting with operators who were one honest conversation away from a real business. 31 Experts selected her because she refuses inspiration without a next action.
- Founded and sold an operations studio serving 80+ first-time companies.
- Designed offer sprints used by operators in Mexico City, Miami and Madrid.
- Teaches a 31-day “first customer” practice rather than a business-plan ritual.
Special Edition
The Top 10
If you could give just one piece of advice to someone starting out in this discipline, what would it be?
Talk to ten people who have the problem before you name the company.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?
I built in private for a year. The moment I charged, the product got honest.
What is the most important “Never do this…” rule in your discipline?
Never confuse a compliment with a purchase.
Who inspired or mentored you, and what did you learn from them?
A restaurant owner who counted tickets every night. Volume is a teacher.
What is the biggest discovery you wish you had known on day one?
Distribution is the product for longer than founders want to admit.
What do outsiders consistently misunderstand about your discipline?
Outsiders think the idea is the scarce thing. The scarce thing is follow-through.
What decision looked small at the time but changed everything?
Sending a price in writing instead of “let’s keep talking.”
What skill outside your discipline has contributed most to your success?
Writing. Clear sentences make clearer offers.
What belief did you hold when you started that you no longer believe today?
I used to believe uniqueness mattered more than usefulness.
When your career is remembered, what do you hope people say you stood for?
That she made starting feel ordinary — and therefore possible.
Expert Playbook
My framework: Offer, Proof, Ask
An early business is three sentences: what you do, for whom, for how much. Then a proof artifact. Then a specific ask. Repeat weekly until the sentences stop changing.
Digital products
Founder Offer Checklist
A printable companion to Start — the weekly offer, proof and ask.
Recommended resources
The Mom Test
For asking questions that don’t flatter you.
A simple ledger
If you cannot see cash weekly, you do not have a business yet.
Media
- Why first customers beat first pitch decks