7 things I wish I knew when I started my company
- The biggest mistake is bad hires. The second biggest mistake is not firing them fast enough.
- Build code ready for scale. Scaling will bite you in the back real hard. Costs will add up fast, and re-organizing code will be a pain.
- Absolutely no bugs allowed. Bugs are horrible and are the fastest way to drive users away from your product.
- Never build using technology that's not popular. It's hard to maintain, and even harder to find developers who can work with the technology.
- Build SEO from day one. It's a long game. And you'll need it.
- A great design makes a huge difference. Some customers told me they stuck with us through the times just for a good UX.
- Patience is key. Patience through all the hard times, ups, and downs is required in abundance throughout the journey.
Good luck hackers.
I write about my journey creating https://classtra.org
Straight to the point and so true!
This is like the antithesis of YCombinator, not saying it's wrong, just a different approach and many of your points are most likely only relevant if you have a product people want.
The "startup" vibe is move fast no matter what, but strategy requires time for planning/thinking/mapping things out. Then you can execute quickly with confidence. I think the mental trick people play on themselves is: "If I am doing something (anything) then I'll feel like I'm doing something right" instead of facing the uncomfortable truth that they may not know the right thing to do, and figuring that out will take the hard work of thinking/planning that they don't want to do. Sometimes doing anything feels easier than planning for the highest impact things to do. Even in high growth startups with tons of funding you need to plan/strategize then execute. Patience to do it right so that it scales and builds on itself rather than a bunch of one-off tactics that move the needle in the short term. Well written OP!
There is a right balance to keep looking for between strategic thinking and executing work. The mind needs to stay humble and the process agile to progress in the right direction.
Doing something, no matter if it's right or wrong long term is not a trick. If you have a product nobody wants, good design won't matter. But if you have a shitty product with some interest, good design can make more people interested in the product.
I think we are discussing different levels of the company, if you have high growth and tons of funding the needle is already moving.
haha. I'm not one to be compared to YC advice, but honestly, the tips seem like they would add a lot of time to your startup, but they will not, just a little and big results. In the end, it's my own reflection and learning.
I agree that it adds time in the long-term but the hack is to find out in the short-term if there's any interest in your product. If you have bugs in your product but people still use it, imagine how much they would use it without bugs ;)
Oh, one more thing, these definitely aren't necessary (scalable code & SEO) if you're trying to find out whether your product has a market fit. But beyond that, these are necessary for success.
That’s not something that I hear everyday on indiehackers. Nice list—thanks for sharing!
Thanks 🙏
So point no 1 has been faced by us. How can one assure to correct it in the first place as time goes lost away in this?
We had shared a post for it:
https://www.indiehackers.com/post/what-traits-should-we-look-for-while-hiring-in-an-early-stage-startup-108b150193
That's a good question @pragyanatvade .
I think you have to really work hard in the interviewing part. But the trick is, to try to hire people who are not joining your startup for the money. Try to find people passionate about something other than the money. It could be that they are inspired by you, or by the vision or they are just so good at what they do. Make sure you have that feeling that they are a good asset, and that they are not simply a temporary solution until you pass this phase.
You can't teach values, you might be able to influence passion, you can definitely help hires improve their skills.
Thanks for the insight