Overcoming Obstacles as a New Leader featuring CEO Peman Montazemi

Being a founder or CEO can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be deeply challenging. In this episode of Medtech Snapshot, Peman Montazemi, CEO of Finally Quiet!, shares an honest perspective on the emotional reality of leading a startup.

“I think in all honesty, we all have our own demons,” he said. “They come out at night.”
Those moments are familiar to many founders and leaders. The weight of responsibility, the pressure to perform, and the constant stream of challenges can make the role feel isolating. Some nights, as Peman describes it, the emotional toll is real. “You’re crying with the width of your entire face at some nights,” he said. “And then you are waking up the next morning and still pounding hard.”

The Reality of Medtech Entrepreneurship
The difficulty is amplified in industries like Medtech and diagnostics, where progress happens slowly and results can take years to materialize. “Specifically in med devices, Medtech, in vitro diagnostics, it’s a very slow moving industry,” Peyman explained. “Results get achieved over years. It’s like a marathon.”
Because of that pace, founders often face long stretches where it feels like little progress is being made, and that’s where mindset becomes critical.

The “Founder’s Cut”
To stay motivated, Peman developed a mental strategy he calls the “founder’s cut.”
The idea is simple. Instead of focusing on the constant stream of challenges, he intentionally revisits the moments that made the journey worthwhile.
“For me, the thing that gets me out of those very dark corners is realizing that if you're very fortunate in a startup… you will have 10 good days in 365 days.”
Those moments might be a successful milestone, a customer breakthrough, or a major technical achievement. When they happen, he captures them mentally.
“I just snip all those bad days and do a founder’s cut of the best moments,” he said. “And play that in a loop in my mind.” That mental highlight reel becomes a source of momentum during difficult stretches.

Preparing for the Bumps
Peman also emphasizes the importance of setting realistic expectations.
“Acknowledging first of all that it is going to be a bumpy road is the number one thing,” he said.
The second step is making sure you’re not navigating that road alone. He credits much of his own resilience to the people around him.
“Surround yourself with people that are a lot smarter than you,” he said. “That has really been a blessing in my life.”
For founders stepping into leadership for the first time, that advice can make a major difference.
Because the challenges of building a company never fully disappear. But with the right mindset and the right people around you, those challenges become part of the journey rather than the end of it.

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