9 out of 10 startups fail. Not because the idea is bad, but because the first product was made incorrectly.
Here are the three most common mistakes founders make.
Solving your own problem, not someone else's
This is a trap for techies. You're interested in writing another task manager. You code for 3 months. You launch. Zero users.
Because the world doesn't need another task manager. What it needs is a tool that solves a specific pain for a specific person. Feel the difference?
How to avoid: Before writing code — talk to 20 potential users. Don't "sell them the idea", listen to their problems. If 15 out of 20 talk about the same pain — you have a market.
Building for everyone
"Our product is for everyone who..."
Stop. If your product is for everyone — it's for no one.
The best MVP is one that helps one specific person solve one specific problem in one specific market. Then you can expand.
Ignoring unit economics
You've attracted 1000 users. Great! But how much does it cost to attract each one? $50? And how much will each pay? $10?
The math doesn't add up — the business doesn't work.
Before scaling your MVP, calculate:
If not — refine your model before attracting more users.
1 real pain × 1 specific audience × minimally beautiful solution × unit economics = successful MVP
Everything else is scaling. And you should only scale what works.