Back

Silly mistakes first-time founders make (that can cost you big): It’s not always the big blunders that kill a startup. Sometimes, it’s small, stupid decisions made early that snowball into massive regrets. Here's a list of the most common rookie mistakes — ranked from deadly to dumb. • Building before talking to users You sit down, design, code, and perfect the product… all in silence. Months later, you launch — and crickets. No one wants it. You could’ve just spoken to 15 users before starting. Validate first, build second. • Starting with co-founders just because they’re friends It feels right — but if your work ethics, goals, or skills don’t align, it gets messy fast. Breakups between friends are worse than failed startups. Choose based on skills and trust, not vibes. • Thinking fundraising is the goal, not a tool You make a pitch deck before you’ve even got your first user. Obsess over VCs, not customers. Money is fuel — but traction is what gets the engine running. • Overbuilding, under-distributing You obsess over features, polish, UI — but forget how people will find you. Great products don’t sell themselves. No distribution = no startup. • Trying to be perfect before launching Your “one last tweak” delay becomes a 3-month ghost phase. You fear judgment, but truth is — no one’s watching that closely. Launch fast, learn faster. • Targeting everyone instead of someone specific You want to serve students, working professionals, moms, freelancers… all at once. But when you build for everyone, you satisfy no one. Niche down first. • Saying yes to everything Every collab, every new feature idea, every random DM. You think more = better, but it only burns you out. Protect your focus like it’s your equity. • Ignoring boring-but-important stuff (legal, finances, docs) You forget to register your company, draft founder agreements, or even track expenses. Later, this stuff bites hard. Set it up right from day one. • Charging too little You think ₹99 will get you more users — but it only gets you broke. If you solve a painful problem, price it with confidence. Cheap doesn’t mean valuable. • Copying others without context You see what’s working for someone on Twitter and blindly copy their playbook. But what worked for them won’t always work for you. Your context, your strategy. • Trying to do 10 things at once You’re building the app, growing a Twitter account, writing a blog, running ads, hosting webinars — with zero clarity. Busy ≠ productive. Pick 1–2 levers that move the needle. First-time founders don’t fail because they’re lazy — they fail because they waste energy on the wrong things. Don’t be that founder. Make better mistakes.