Startups are hard, and I’ve seen (and built) a few that made mistakes so glaring from the outside but nearly invisible when you’re in the trenches. Let’s break down three early-stage founder blunders — because knowing what not to do might save your company.
- Throwing Money at Top-Notch Agencies for Branding or Intros
Yes, a sleek logo and a polished website feel great. But burning cash on a fancy agency before you even know if your product works? That’s like buying designer clothes for a marathon you haven’t trained for. And intros? If your product isn’t solving a real problem, intros will just accelerate rejection.
Imagine you’re building a rocket, but instead of working on the engine, you spend all your budget painting the exterior and handing out invitations to the launch party. I know, some companies do that! But. That’s what it’s like hiring a high-end agency for branding or shelling out for intros before your product is ready. Branding doesn’t matter if your product flops, and intros won’t magically fix a lack of product-market fit. Want credibility? Solve a real problem and let customers become your loudest advocates.
- Outsourcing Core Functions Like Sales
Hiring a sales team and thinking they’ll magically bring in customers while you tinker with the product is wishful thinking. If you, as the founder, can’t sell your product, no one can. And when sales eventually flop, guess who they’ll say the problem is? The product. Sales isn’t just a function — it’s direct market feedback. Skip this, and you’re flying blind.
Outsourcing sales too early is like hiring someone to pitch your screenplay without ever writing the third act. If you, the founder, don’t know how to sell the product, no sales team will. Early-stage sales are messy and brutal, but they teach you exactly what customers want (or don’t). Treat it like a live-action user research lab, not something you can hand off and forget.
- Overestimating Conferences and Trade Shows
Yes, conferences are useful. You might collect some business cards, accidentally bump into a VC at a midnight party, grab a drink with a journalist, or even stumble into a meaningful partnership. But if you roll in expecting to leave with signed contracts and term sheets, you’re in for a rough wake-up call. These events are long games: relationship-building arenas, not closing ceremonies. Go, learn, network, but don’t mistake attendance for progress.
Startups are a grind. The founders who succeed are the ones willing to do the dirty work — talking to users, tweaking the product, and learning the hard lessons themselves. There are no shortcuts.
