I was doing it wrong for 15 years and here’s what I learned so you don’t make the same mistakes.
Mistake 1: Building tall before building wide.
I used to rush to scale. Get it big, get it fast. But without a solid foundation, things crack under pressure. Now I do the unglamorous work first. Architecture, structure, getting the basics right. That’s what lets you scale later.
Mistake 2: Thinking more resources would fix everything.
Some of my best work happened with the least resources. Limitations force creativity. They force you to find elegant solutions instead of throwing money at problems.
Mistake 3: Overcomplicating everything.
We’re trained to think more is better. More features. More complexity. More everything. But often the real unlock is removing what doesn’t need to be there. Simplicity is hard. That’s why it’s valuable.
Mistake 4: Ignoring what nature already solved.
Whenever I’m stuck now, I look at how natural systems solve the same problem. Billions of years of R&D, already done. Networks, flows, distribution. It’s all there if you pay attention.
Solution: Speed of iteration beats perfection. Experiment, reflect, improve, repeat. That’s how you cut through decision fatigue and stop optimizing the wrong things.
Still learning. Still building.