As a first time founder I focused way too much on implementation. What coding language to use, what marketing strategy, what the business model will be.

Over-systemizing, over-optimizing, and overthinking.

What I’ve learned over the years:

The most valuable thing to focus on is one question: am I helping people? 

Am I adding genuine value to at least one person’s life? Success scales when I do more of that.

I talk to aspiring founders and they ask me questions like “should I do e-commerce or should I make an app?”. I think that’s the wrong way to think about building a business. Because that’s doing it for you, not for others.

I believe we would be more successful (more quickly) if we just focused on helping people. 

Why? Because the job of a business is to serve its customers. Not to serve you. The best founders are servants to their customers.

This is something I’m only realizing years into my entrepreneurship journey. To be frank, I got into entrepreneurship for me. 

Because I wanted people to use the products that I designed and created. And I wanted to quit my 9 to 5. I didn't want to work for someone else anymore.

Those were perfectly normal motivations to start a business, and they actually make sense for why so many people make the leap.

But now, I'm getting close to Year 5 of building businesses full time, and I’m sensing a shift.

Those things don’t motivate me much anymore. I get the most joy out of helping people. I think this will lead to far more growth, too. Will keep you updated.