What are the biggest mistakes that first-time founders make?

@sentry_co That’s an interesting perspective, André! I agree—trying to avoid every mistake can sometimes prevent valuable learning. But I also think some mistakes are best avoided, especially when others have already made them and shared valuable lessons. Curious—what specific mistakes do you think founders should not avoid and must make to truly learn and grow?

@abdalyousef I think the pain of the mistake is the point. You validate harder to avoid doing something similar again later. And the next mistake is always disquised as something else. it's non obvious it will be a mistake. just reading dos and don's doesn't forge your mental model. Also most gotchas out there in startup world are complete nonsense. One advice is complete bullshit in the wrong context. I have not seen a single advice in the startup world that actually apply universally to all startup cases. And external advice from external people are quite frankly dangerous. As they don't know your case intimately. they have only surface knowledge about your specific case. Like Alen Watts used to say: You gotto be with it. That being said. You should definitely aim to strengthen mental models for how to do things. Surround your self with peers in the same situation as you. Share with your peers and use awareness actively as a tool to navigate the journey. But singular advice. My advice. Be careful. But do ask for feedback and keep probing. Very few ask for feedback tho.

@abdalyousef The problem with avoiding mistakes is there are side-effects. Like. Okay take a few popular advices in the startupworld. 1. Fail fast. 2. Succeed fast. 3. Focus on growth. 4. Dont reinvent the wheel. 5. Don't chase trends. 6. Don't be a solo entrepreneur. 7. Don't be too many cofounders. etc etc. They all have equal side effects. Also the times we live in. A lot of former successful entrepreneurs are just bored on SoMe and just tweet out random advice that sound bombastic and get a lot of attention. So we are indoctrinated with advice that make headlines. But doesn't really apply to reality. If you look at OpenAI as a startup case. Sam Altman didn't follow a single advice he has preached. Like fail fast. OpenAI was building for 10 years before any sign of PMF showed up. The list goes on. As for avoiding mistakes. A simple example. The best way to learn is to burn. If you tell your kid not to touch a candle because it's hot. He won't forge the connection between heat and pain. He will think candles are the problem. So he will put his hand on the stove instead and get 3rd degree burns. So when you see your kid touch a candle. Let him. So he connects heat with pain. That's why mistakes are 10x better than advice. Advice are shallow and surface level. Lessons are deeply rooted and high context. Specific mistakes to not avoid: Moving slow, reinventing the wheel, not focusing on marketing, trying too much, using what you know instead of new tech, and a lot more. All these mistakes has rich lessons and facets that must be experienced to forge your entrepreneurial mental models. They are apart of the journey, and important growing up in your entrepreneurial life. 🚀

@sentry_co André, you make a compelling point about the nature of mistakes and how they form the foundation of our learning and mental models. I completely agree that pain from mistakes can be a great teacher. As you said, mistakes teach lessons far deeper than advice alone ever can. The idea of letting your kid touch the candle to learn about heat makes sense because it builds that direct, rooted understanding, much like how entrepreneurs forge their own paths. However, I think there's an important nuance here. While failure isn’t the enemy but rather the fuel for growth, we should be cautious about the types of mistakes we make. It’s true that avoiding all mistakes might limit our learning, but there’s also a balance. The goal is to make the right kind of mistakes, those that push you forward rather than break you down completely. Not every mistake should be embraced if it jeopardizes your mental or physical health or puts your entire progress at risk. Using your example of the candle: sure, touching the candle helps your child understand the connection between heat and pain. But you wouldn't make him jump into a fire just to learn how dangerous it is! Some mistakes are too costly and can cause damage that is hard to recover from, and this is the same for entrepreneurs. Not all mistakes should be embraced—especially the ones that can derail your health, well-being, or long-term prospects. For instance, when I first moved to Germany as a refugee, I faced relentless challenges, and through all that trial and error, I developed resilience. I constantly pushed forward, learned German quickly, and built relationships that helped me grow. But at some point, I found myself making mistakes that affected my well-being—mistakes that weren’t necessary to the learning process, but more like miscalculations that worsened my health and state of mind. These weren’t the constructive mistakes you talk about but mistakes that could have been avoided had I been more aware or mindful. I think there’s a danger in entering the "feedback loop from hell", where one bad decision or a wrong mental model drags you down into a space where you keep compounding your suffering. This is where I’d argue that some mistakes are too costly to ignore. It’s one thing to move slow or reinvent the wheel, but if your mistake results in the breakdown of your physical and mental health, it becomes harder to recover and stay on course. I've had moments where my health collapsed after pushing too hard, and suddenly, the price of those mistakes was no longer just a delay in progress but a long-lasting struggle with my own capacity to perform. The mental and physical toll affected my ability to work on my business or even function properly. And that's where I think we need to be cautious. Some mistakes can derail us so much that the process of bouncing back becomes exponentially more difficult, making it crucial to avoid certain kinds of failures. That’s why, when we set high goals, it’s important to differentiate them down into achievable steps, each challenging enough to push us but still within the realm of possibility. By doing so, we give ourselves the chance to learn from mistakes while maintaining a reasonable probability of success. In other words, it’s about making sure that the mistakes we make are ones we can learn from and recover from, not ones that leave us in a downward spiral or prevent us from continuing the journey. I agree with your point about being wary of external advice. Startup advice often sounds flashy but lacks depth, especially when it’s out of context. Sam Altman’s case with OpenAI is a great example. People see the success and hear the mantra of "fail fast," but they don’t see the decade of consistent, behind-the-scenes work before finding PMF. But there’s also another side to this—while no one can fully understand your situation the way you do, some advice can help you avoid avoidable mistakes. It’s not about blindly following it but rather integrating it selectively, like a feedback loop that allows you to test what works for you without diving into a death spiral. In my own journey, there were times I wished I had learned certain lessons sooner—about balance, health, and making smarter, more calculated mistakes. Yes, you have to make errors to grow, but you shouldn’t be so consumed by them that it prevents you from moving forward. The key is to find that balance where you're learning from failure without letting those failures consume you. You don’t have to burn yourself out to be successful. Ultimately, I think it’s about making the right kind of mistakes—those that you can learn from and recover from without destroying your ability to keep moving. You can’t avoid failure entirely, but you can try to avoid ruinous mistakes. We all have a limited capacity, both physically and mentally, and I believe it’s crucial to protect that so you can make those incremental improvements over time. Fail forward, but fail wisely.

@khalil_hanna Good point, Khalil! Just to clarify—by 'proposal,' are you referring to a business pitch or something else?

@ogaga_john Absolutely, Ogaga. Building in isolation is a common pitfall, especially for first-time founders. You can have the best product in your mind, but without real user feedback, it might miss the mark entirely. What strategies do you recommend to stay connected to users throughout development?

@abdalyousef Right now i am exploring with beta testers... Simply put together a handful of beta testers and get feedback from them and improve the MVP to a good enough point to launch publicly. And slowly grow a community of testers who love the product

@arslandevs Great point, Syed! Ignoring distribution can make or break a startup. Even the best products can fail without the right channels to reach their audience. What strategies have you found to be most effective in ensuring proper distribution?

@arslandevs this for consumer businesses and for b2b building before selling

@abdalyousef it depends on the product, diff products should have diff channels. The common workflow should be look out the major competitors traffic coming from using tools like similarweb or ahrefs.

@hennrunnel Spot on! Mentorship is invaluable for avoiding early mistakes.

@dcupl Exactly! Focusing on validation early is crucial.

Hi @mihir_kanzariya, I noticed you’re launching soon and wanted to take this opportunity to connect. Would you be interested in supporting each other’s launching soon product?

@gorns Exactly, Evgenii! Market size is crucial—many founders overlook this early on and it really impacts scalability.

@arslandevs @rhexai Yes, distribution can’t be ignored. It’s essential to growth.

@rhexai its well said that, "first time founders are obsessed with product, second time founders are obsessed with distribution." -justine kan

@hugo_dos_santos It depends on your experiences and skills. If you're a first-time founder who has decades of professional experience in various industries and sectors, you may be able to launch an early-stage startup on your own and manage it better in the first few years than a couple of young founders who lack the necessary founder skills and need to learn the ropes and build their personal brands and networl to be successful. Let's imagine this: You have worked for 10 years in different positions and have a strong network on LinkedIn and Twitter and know how to manage complicated projects and develop software on your own or/and delegate some tasks to freelancers and pay them from your savings, then you might be able to manage everything on your own and generate revenue even if you are a solo founder, and there are many examples of successful solo founders out there. Some of them did not have what it takes to build a successful startup, but after building a couple of startups with little to no success, they managed to build a successful business and after that they build multiple startups. If you have to figure the basic things out and don't have what it takes to be successful, it's better to find a co-founder, otherwise you'll burn out sooner or later.

@bilalasif So, what's the alternative?

@bilalasif I can't agree more, Delegation and a strong support network are key, but what if you don't have enough money to pay for freelancers? What would you do? Use the best AI-Tools?

I think the best approach depends on your situation. If you're a solo founder with limited resources, leveraging tools for project management, content creation, and social media can help you stay organized and efficient. Whether you have a team or not, it's important to maximize your productivity using available resources. While these tools can't do everything, they can significantly lighten the load and give you the bandwidth to focus on growth. Once your business generates enough revenue, you can start delegating more tasks to free up your time for strategy and vision. @bilalasif @rhexai

@abdalyousef Using the right AI tools could be one way. However, I believe collaboration with the right people is key here.

@bilalasif @abdalyousef Insightful! Thanks for sharing, man

@willowevangelineharlow Couldn't agree more, Willow. Real feedback drives success.

@emilygracebennett Great breakdown, Emily! I agree with most of these, especially the focus on avoiding vanity metrics. I’d add that releasing an MVP early to gather feedback can also speed up the product-market fit process. What’s your experience with balancing product development and early marketing outreach?

@oliviajanemitchell Completely agree, Olivia! Delegating is tough for many founders, especially when they’re used to wearing all the hats. Focusing on high-impact tasks makes all the difference. And yes, talking to customers early is essential—so many products could be saved by just a few conversations!

@vecka_kalender Absolutely, Vecka. Careful planning and adaptability are key.

@william_nash1 Couldn’t agree more, William. It’s all about persistence! First-time founders often have to put in more effort than they initially expect. Building both personal and business brands, as well as earning trust and a follower base, can be especially challenging when you're doing it for the first time.

@tankachat I totally see your point, Xinshu. Not talking to users is definitely a major mistake. They’re the ones who will tell you if your product is hitting the right notes or falling short. How do you approach user feedback in your projects?

@beautyrr_ Exactly, Astried! Many founders underestimate the time and energy it takes, which is why some give up before they even reach profitability. Staying persistent and managing expectations is key.