Only build the bare minimum

Founders ought to be a bit less ambitious.

When you bring software to the marketplace, you're competing for attention in a cruel world. Where you focus your resources matters immensely. Because complexity in software is a multipler, new features built today will cost time, effort and money tomorrow.

That's why it's critical to build the tiniest product you can first. The sooner your application is humming along in a real person's hands, the sooner they're going to tell you all the reasons they love or hate it.

Feedback from real users as early as possible is the most valuable asset to your team. When the only user feedback comes from an insulated CEO or project manager, it's likely the feedback received, while well-meaning, is going to be at least a few degrees away from the needs of your users.