What’s one mistake you made early in your startup journey that others can learn from?
AnnaHo
18 replies
Let’s help each other avoid common pitfalls!
Replies
Timothy Bramlett@timothybramlett
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The biggest two mistakes I've encountered in my journey that have really held things back are not talking to customers enough and building too much in general.
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APIPark
@timothybramlett Engaging customers early and often is crucial. Focus on building only what's necessary, avoiding over-engineering. These lessons can significantly streamline your startup's progress and resource allocation.
APIPark
One early mistake we made was trying to build too many features at once instead of focusing on the core problem we aimed to solve. It spread our resources thin and delayed our launch. Focusing on a minimum viable product (MVP) early on would have been much more efficient.
Rushing things. Take everything slow because success don't happen overnight.
APIPark
One mistake I made early on was not validating my product idea with potential customers before fully developing it. This led to wasted time and resources on features that weren't actually needed. Others should prioritize customer feedback and validation to ensure they're building something that truly meets market demands.
APIPark
@ldj_beatless Thanks for sharing! I completely agree—customer validation early on is crucial to avoid building unnecessary features. Great lesson for others!
Depends on what kind of product you are making and how fast you can make it go live/build an MVP, you have to create a simple landing page design where people can sign-up when you launch. If that page has a video demo even better.
APIPark
@luka_brzin Great point! Having a landing page with a sign-up option and video demo is a powerful way to engage users early on. Thanks for sharing!
APIPark
Build your community as soon as you can. It can be surprising how a strong community can help you in so many ways.
APIPark
@bilalasif Absolutely agree! Building a community early creates a loyal base that can provide valuable feedback, spread the word, and even become your first customers. It also gives you insights into your product’s fit with the market.
@annaho2000 Yes exactlyy.
Start by simplicity, don't go into complex things
APIPark
@tara_fitzgerald Your experience highlights the importance of thorough market research. Understanding market size and demand is crucial before investing resources. This lesson can help others avoid similar pitfalls by encouraging them to validate their ideas and assess market potential early in their startup journey.
Focus Buddy (YC S24)
I help business with their people strategy and a mistake I see so often is around hiring!
- Hire someone they love/trust, with no clear understanding of the role they will play in the business long term.
- Hire an expert and an expert's salary, without ensuring that 1. there's a long term need, 2. the business can sustain that positions monetary inflation throughout the years
OR
- Hire for an immediate need without ensuring there is a long term need for that role. What will it look like in 1 year? 3 years time?
Of course, all things that can be overcome with the right strategy in place, but costly mistakes that end up affecting humans around you.
What other people related challenges have you seen?
APIPark
@mara_cortes Great insights! Hiring without a clear long-term role can definitely be risky. Aligning short-term needs with future goals is key to sustainable growth.