The document outlines eight common mistakes early-stage startups should avoid, such as not understanding their current stage and failing to validate their hypotheses. It emphasizes the importance of customer acquisition, defining core tasks versus outsourcing, and establishing processes and a data-driven culture from the start. Overall, it provides strategic advice for effectively navigating the startup journey.

1. 8 Early Stage Startup
Mistakes To Avoid
By Isaac Souweine
Presented to to
May 13, 2015
Montreal

2. 1. Not knowing what
stage your startup is in

3. Examples of stages
● In search of > Problem/Solution Fit
● In search of > Traction
● In search of > Product/Market Fit
● In search of > Scale
● In search of > Optimization
NB - All advice is good advice for somebody

4. 2. Not understanding
that your startup is just
a bunch of hypotheses

5. A Good Startup does 2 things well
sell the shit out of your vision seek validation for that vision

6. 3. Not being able to
identify your riskiest
hypothesis

7. Identifying your riskiest hypotheses

8. Identifying your riskiest hypotheses

9. 4. Not having a clear
idea of how to test your
riskiest hypothesis

10. Testing your hypothesis
● Surveys
● Problem interviews
● Solution interviews
● Landing page
● Prototype
● A Real MVP

11. Interlude - What is an MVP?
A Minimum Viable Product is the smallest
thing you can build that delivers
customer value. . . - Ash Maurya
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHJn_SubN4E

12. 5. Focusing too much
on product vs.
customer acquisition

13. Instead of Build/Measure/Learn

14. Build/Promote/Measure/Learn

15. 6. Not having a clear idea
of what is core and what
can be outsourced

16. Things that can be outsourced
● Your MVP
● Acquisition
● Copy
● PR
● Brand
● Anything!
● Or Nothing!!

17. 7. Not building process
from Day 1

18. Small Scale Process Example
Source: http://pollenizer.com/tools/

19. 8. Not building a data
culture from Day 1

20. Three Pillars of Data Culture
Source: http://www.slideshare.net/isouweine/startup-next-v31

21. Isaac Souweine | @sonofsarah