Don’t put the cart before the horse

I learned this the hard way as a founder: 👇

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Don’t put the cart before the horse.

Keep things in the right order.

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Here’s what I mean:

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1. Know your reason

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First, figure out why you’re in business. What are you doing, why, and for whom?

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🙅"We need to scale production now."

👍"Let’s understand our customer first."

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2. Validate with samples

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Before going into full production, get product samples. Test them.

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🙅 "Our assumptions must be right."

👍 "Let’s validate our product with customers."

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3. Focus on product-market fit

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Use samples to get feedback and make sure your product fits the market. 

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🙅"We need to set up logistics now."

👍"Let’s confirm our market fit first."

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4. Learn from mistakes

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It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s not okay to stay where you are. Learn and improve.

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🙅"We failed, this won’t work."

👍"We learned, let’s iterate and try again."

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5. Scale slowly & wisely

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When you are sure, that’s what your audience wants. Scale. Don’t rush into it very early on.

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🙅"We must grow fast."

👍"Let’s grow smart after validation."

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Focus on your customer first.

Who is it and how do you bring value to them?

Anything else is a distraction.