What Early-Stage Founders Spend Way Too Much Time On

Every startup is different.
Every founder’s journey is messy.

And I’ll be the first to say: I don’t have it all figured out. I still run into curveballs weekly — sometimes daily. But there are a few things I can say with full confidence that will reduce your chances of completely screwing the launch of your brand or product.

This is about minimizing damage. This is about not fucking it up before you’ve even started.

1. Your MVP is not your final product. Stop treating it like it is.

One of the most common traps early founders fall into is obsessing over their MVP. Pixel-perfect UIs, never-ending revisions, weeks lost to indecision over button colors. I get it — you care. But let me be clear: the MVP’s job isn’t to be perfect. It’s to ship, get feedback, and help you learn as fast as possible.

Here’s the truth: your assumptions are mostly guesses.
Even if you ran surveys or user testing, none of it compares to real-world usage. Once your product hits an actual audience, that’s when the real data kicks in. And if you waited three months too long because you were stuck polishing, you're going to hate the feeling of realizing your assumptions were off after burning all that time and money.

You don’t learn by theorizing.
You learn by doing. And shipping.

2. Stop tweaking logos. Nobody cares.

Yes, branding matters — but at this stage, you’re not Nike.
You don’t need 15 fonts, 12 mood boards, and a spiritual search for your perfect shade of blue. Get something clean, functional, and legible. Move on.

Same goes for over-documenting. If you’re spending more time writing Notion pages than building or selling, something’s off.

Oh, and meetings?
More meetings ≠ more productivity. In fact, it’s the opposite.
If it can be shared in an email or a Loom — don’t book a call.
Set an agenda. Set a time limit. Move on.

Let me put it plainly:

The only thing doing the thing… is doing the thing.
Thinking about the thing isn’t doing it.
Talking about it isn’t doing it.
Planning it isn’t doing it.
Doing is doing. That’s it.

3. You’re not married to your idea. Don’t act like it.

You’re still figuring out your market. Don’t write a 15-slide pitch deck if you can’t explain your company in two clear lines. Until you can, you’re not ready to pitch. You’re still refining.

Stay agile. Stay open. Be willing to adapt — because the market won’t bend for your original idea, no matter how clever it felt in the shower. Some of the best products today look nothing like they did on Day 1.

Stubborn founders become stuck founders.
And stuck founders burn out.

4. Solve a problem people actually care about. Now.

A “great idea” is useless if the problem doesn’t exist — or worse, if it’s not urgent.

Ask yourself:

• Is this something people are already trying to solve?
  
• Can you make them care quickly?
  
• Are you solving it in a way that’s actually better?
  

If your answer to those is fuzzy, you might be building the next "John’s App" — the one that “has potential” but nobody uses. Don’t be John.

When you pitch, the story matters.
It needs to be clear, digestible, and human.
People — especially investors — need to care.

Final Thought: Don’t Be Afraid to Get Help

Yes, shameless plug incoming: this is what we do at Nexubis.
We work with early-stage founders to clarify the message, refine the product narrative, and build the stuff that actually matters — fast.

Pitch decks, MVP structure, branding, strategy.
We’re a startup’s sidekick — no bullshit, no fluff.

It sounds cocky, but it’s true: our clients stick around.Because we help them avoid the traps, skip the fluff, and actually build momentum.