7 Mistakes I Made As A First-Time Founder
Common pitfalls I encountered as a first-time startup founder and the lessons I learned from them.
As a first-time startup founder, I tripped more times than I'd like to admit.
Some of my pitfalls seem so obvious now.
- Fell in love with my idea
- I used to think my ideas are to be protected.
- Turns out, ideas are worthless without execution.
- Now, I go through ideas faster than changing socks.
- Built too soon
- When I had an idea, I jumped straight into building.
- Turns out, that idea only made sense in my head.
- Now, I find the customer first.
- Tech > value
- I used to think it's all about the technology.
- And that customers care about it as much as I did.
- Turns out, customers just want their own problems solved.
- Great products sell themselves
- I thought if the product is good, no need for sales.
- The greater the features, the easier it is to sell.
- Turns out, I was stupid.
- I am not a salesperson
- I thought sales wasn't for technical founders.
- Turns out, founder sales is non-negotiable.
- I learned to love what I used to hate.
- Marketing can wait
- I used to think marketing is a waste.
- Resources are better invested in the product.
- Turns out, everything in startups and life is marketing.
- Quality > speed
- I used to perfect everything before launch.
- Turns out, that was a recipe for disaster.
- Fast > perfect. Get it to the customer.
All these mistakes look silly now, but they were my reality.
It took me a while, but I've got it now: Tech startups are just like any other business. It's all about the customer.