20 popular TIPS to build a STARTUP that are a NONSENSE

Most often, tips help us choose better and avoid certain mistakes we didn't think of. However, when followed blindly - they might become the obstacle we stumble upon.

This time, I wanted to ❌ share and kill 20 TIPS ❌ that are so popular when it comes to building a startup but completely didn't work for me, are often misinterpreted, or… simply are nonsense.

1. Make your weaknesses your strengths.

I believe in doing things that you're best at. And then trusting the tasks of your weaknesses to people who would name them their strengths. What's the point of doing it all but most often staying mediocre? Not without a reason product owners hire people: my developer would definitely agree with this, he wouldn't want to see me coding.

2. Think twice before you start your company.

Very individual, BUT: my best products turned out to be the ones that I did not overthink. I randomly came up with solutions that I knew I needed and was pretty sure that it could help out more people. Then I just went straight to the process of making it happen. Sometimes I really consider that if I would have given more thought to some of my products, I wouldn't have started them at all. However, I can assure you that I'd definitely regret it: I would have lost many crucial lessons and experiences that they brought to me - even without becoming successful unicorns.

3. Plan your day in great-great-great detail.

Yes, the structure is important. But planning the whole day hour by hour as a product owner might become more stressful than reassuring quite often. For CEOs, a lot of things come up out of nowhere: questions, tasks, crises, etc. Timetable changes are inevitable when it comes to such position, and it's best to be flexible and prepared for it mentally rather than have 0 space for unexpected matters.

4. Always put quality first.

I've been hearing this advice everywhere I turn and following it way too much for some time. And it wasted my resources on things that weren't worth it. Like writing the most informative blog post in a blog that has an average monthly traffic of 1 person (yes, me). In this case, writing more posts with good keywords would be way more rewarding and way less time-consuming, and that's only one example of where the rule of quantity goes.

5. Have a plan in mind.

With my first few products, I had a very strict plan on how I'll proceed - every aspect with all steps included. I can't say it was bad, but it did give me less space to improvise and sometimes take decisions that were a bit risky but most probably could have brought more benefits. I will never know now, and that's the problem of holding on to a plan too much.

6. Risk everything - it's a vital part of growth.

Although I just mentioned risk is an important part and pushes the product further - you just can't bet on it all. The risk has to be well considered. You put it all - you lose it all, and that's not a step towards building a successful business.

7. Do not start a business by yourself. Get yourself a co-founder.

Although this advice is one of the most popular ones, I'm sure that starting a business yourself, although it is for sure more challenging, gives the understanding of the responsibility one has to be willing to take as a founder. From my experience working both as a founder and as a co-founder, I can guarantee that both are useful for a different skill set, but being behind it completely alone teaches the fundamentals best.

8. Follow the rule that the customer/user is always right.

When it comes to young products and small businesses, it's very not the case. People tend not to trust things that they don't know, and startups are the target of that. You will be quickly judged as a scam and pointed fingers by saying, "there are bigger companies that do just the same and more efficiently," so make sure to separate constructive criticism from users user and random accusations.

9. If something's working very well - focus your energy on that.

Don't put all of your eggs in one basket is my favorite saying when it comes to marketing, and it disagrees with this advice. Of course, brainstorm on how to get the most out of it, but always have alternatives. When that thing falls apart for some reason that you can't control (which, let's admit, often happens when building a product), and you don't have a plan B, C, or Z, it will be… The End.

10. Do everything to grow as fast as possible.

The point of every startup is to grow and improve. However, strictly focusing on numbers such as revenue and customers is not the best tactic in the long run. It can even become addictive and hit you off the track in creating a solution your customers need, which is actually your way to success. Put your energy on the values, team, user experience, etc. - these features of quality will reward with increasing numbers with time.

11. Fear is your worst enemy.

Although it's partly true, from my experience, it's a bit too harsh. You have to understand that fear is also a natural feeling that can't be withdrawn. This advice can result in you judging yourself too much for feeling stress when making important choices. However, emphasize the fact that this tingly feeling also brings some good things with it. You feel responsible for the actions you take and consider more before making that scarry-boo-decision.

12. Do not reinvent the wheel.

The opposite. Do invent, reinvent and break as much as wheels as you feel necessary to come up with THE wheel. Being original is the only way to get your product through nowadays. That's exactly why I chose such a random (as many people would say) format for RatePunk. Browser extensions, especially in the travel market, aren't that popular, and there aren't that many examples of how I should be working on mine. But I'm sure that this factor of the unknown is also the path to success.

13. Never give up & success will come.

To be honest, one of the things I actually regret with some of my products is not killing them earlier. All things come to an end, and the same goes for startups. Not giving up on a project that's irrelevant, doesn't have its market, and is not well-made will not bring you success, will it? No matter how long you wait. The secret is not in waiting, it's in doing.

14. If you love what you're doing - it will work.

Loving what you're doing is CRUCIAL because you won't keep up for long. However, it's not a guarantee it will lead you to the top. Love for work has to come with a relevant solution, place in the market, and demand. Being a founder combines two things: your passion and the practical side of making that passion true.

15. There's a market for all ideas.

I think this advice is the reason why we have so many startups every year. Everyone thinks that ANY idea will bring them a fortune, and it's a bit of a trap. I would change it to there's a market for all the GOOD ideas that FIT INTO THE market. It has to offer the right solution and fill in the right gap in the right industry.

16. Being super-turbo-productive is the key.

Haven't joined the 5 am club? No lettuce smoothie for breakfast? Are you even a founder? I guess you are, but with the recent trends, even you might start questioning that. You don't have to do all the fancy stuff and let everyone know on your social media. You can also take a break and be very unproductive - it doesn't make you a bad founder or fate your product to be doomed in this modern era.

17. Get as much funding as you can & the faster - the better.

Funding might get you down as fast as it might rise you up. If you get a lot of finances at the very first stages of your product, you might end up spending it on things that don't bring many results. And it's a waste of resources. The same amounts could be used more wisely after finding out areas that perform best for your startup. For example, if I got huge sums at the beginning of RatePunk, I would surely have spent it all on influencer marketing. But now, I know it would have barely brought results - I'd invest it in PPC, which has proven to perform better.

18. Work 24/7.

Do that only if you've given up on your product and already want that push to quit finally. However, some people consider it normal, at least in the very beginning - the excitement and ideas take over. And although that's kind of an excuse, I'm sure that you need to take breaks at any point. That's exactly your time to embrace that creativity and meet new people, and these in the future will most likely be more useful than what you'd achieve by working with no rest.

19. Any advice is advice.

No, not everything you hear from people is worth your attention, and not everything that was said in the form of advice is actually advice. Rely on your gut and find out the background - was it said honestly and relying on personal experience, or maybe it has another purpose? Is the person being objective or relying on one's emotions? Consider wisely before taking it for granted and putting it into practice!

20. First, make the product, then move on with the sales.

Sure, create it all, upgrade all features, conduct a detailed market analysis, make it "perfect," and then start spreading the word about it. But what if it fails? You'll have spent hours and hours (if not months or years) on a product that apparently was completely not needed. The right point of view would be to… have nothing & sell what you're thinking about making. Improve during the process, not before. Sell the idea & see the demand - then you can decide what's worth your time & resources instead of wasting it all on something you believe hard in but what users don't find helpful.