If I could jump in a time machine and visit my first startup 20 years ago, I’d have a few choice words for my younger self. That business was the WordPress equivalent of its time – no-code software to build simple websites. The problem? We spent too much time building and not enough time understanding our customers.
We thought we knew what users wanted because we were the users. But here’s the mistake: we weren’t the customers. Users and customers aren’t always the same people – a key lesson for first-time founders.

Plan Before You Code

1. Plan Before You Code
Before writing a line of code, ask:
– Who will pay for this?
– How will you sell it?
– What’s the value proposition?
If you’re in B2B, users may love your product, but managers or procurement teams hold the purse strings. If you don’t understand the buying process, you’ll hit a wall.

2. Test the Market Early
Validate before building:
– Smoke Test: Use ads and a landing page to see if people click “buy.”
– Evidence Gathering: Get proof it works through pilots or testimonials.
– Do the Maths: If it costs £10 to acquire a customer who brings in £8, you’ve got a problem.

3. Know Your Why
Your motivation shapes everything. Are you:
– Building to exit? Show a path to profitability.
– Solving a social problem? Focus on impact.
– Creating for fun? Then just enjoy it.

One Last Thing…

Surround yourself with people who challenge you. Not friends who say, “That’s great,” but people who poke holes in your assumptions and force you to think.
Looking back, those hard-learned lessons shaped every project since. What about you? What’s your biggest lesson from starting something new?