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Early-Stage Mistakes

A reflection tool

Treating assumptions as facts

Plans move forward as if key beliefs are already true, without evidence where it matters most.

Falling in Love with the Solution Instead of the Problem

Energy and excitement concentrate on what to build before the problem is fully understood.

Not Choosing Who You’re Building for First

Multiple valid users pull the product in different directions before any one is deeply served.

Using an MVP as a Product, Not a Test

Early builds are treated as versions to ship rather than experiments to learn from.

Skipping Spikes and Hoping It Works

Technical, operational, or vendor risks are trusted to resolve themselves instead of being tested early.

Building Without a Shared Reality

Teams move quickly while holding different interpretations of goals, priorities, and success.

Continuing to Build on a Broken Assumption

Signals suggest something isn’t working, but momentum keeps the plan moving forward.

Hiring Before Clarity

People are added to compensate for uncertainty rather than to execute against a clear direction.

Expanding Before Product–Market Fit

Scope, reach, or spend grows before it’s clear what’s actually working and for whom.

. No Clear Definition of “Done” or “Success”

Work continues without a shared understanding of what outcome would make it complete—for now.

How to use this

You can probably see why we didn’t try to cover all ten of these in one sitting.
Each one deserves time.

This isn’t something to work through or finish.
It’s a lens to help you notice patterns as they show up.

Start with two or three that feel most relevant right now.
You can come back to the rest when you’re ready.

Start here

If you’re not sure where to begin, don’t overthink it.

Take a moment with these questions:

Which mistakes felt familiar when we talked through them?
Which ones feel harder to reason about right now?
Which mistake would be most expensive if it were happening quietly?

You don’t need perfect answers. You’re just noticing where your attention wants to go.

Most people start with two or three mistakes. That’s enough to begin.

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Mistake #1 — Treating Assumptions as Facts

Plans move forward as if key beliefs are already true.

Mistake #1 — Treating Assumptions as Facts

Plans move forward as if key beliefs are already true.

Mistake #2 — Falling in Love with the Solution Instead of the Problem

Energy and excitement concentrate on what to build before the problem is fully understood.

Mistake #2 — Falling in Love with the Solution Instead of the Problem

Energy and excitement concentrate on what to build before the problem is fully understood.

Mistake #3 — Not Choosing Who You’re Building for First

Multiple valid users pull the product in different directions.

Mistake #3 — Not Choosing Who You’re Building for First

Multiple valid users pull the product in different directions.

Mistake #4 — Using an MVP as a Product, Not a Test

Early builds are treated as versions to ship rather than experiments to learn from.

Mistake #4 — Using an MVP as a Product, Not a Test

Early builds are treated as versions to ship rather than experiments to learn from.

Mistake #5 — Skipping Spikes and Hoping It Works

Risk is deferred instead of being tested directly.

Mistake #5 — Skipping Spikes and Hoping It Works

Risk is deferred instead of being tested directly.

Mistake #6 — Building Without a Shared Reality

Teams move quickly while holding different interpretations of goals and priorities.

Mistake #6 — Building Without a Shared Reality

Teams move quickly while holding different interpretations of goals and priorities.

Mistake #7 — Continuing to Build on a Broken Assumption

Signals suggest something isn’t working, but momentum keeps the plan moving forward.

Mistake #7 — Continuing to Build on a Broken Assumption

Signals suggest something isn’t working, but momentum keeps the plan moving forward.

Mistake #8 — Hiring Before Clarity

Hiring becomes a substitute for deciding.

Mistake #8 — Hiring Before Clarity

Hiring becomes a substitute for deciding.

Mistake #9 — Expanding Before Product–Market Fit

Scope, reach, or spend grows before it’s clear what’s actually working.

Mistake #9 — Expanding Before Product–Market Fit

Scope, reach, or spend grows before it’s clear what’s actually working.

Mistake #10 — No Clear Definition of “Done” or “Success”

Work continues without a shared understanding of what outcome would make it complete.

Mistake #10 — No Clear Definition of “Done” or “Success”

Work continues without a shared understanding of what outcome would make it complete.

Want a Second Set of Eyes on This?

If some of these patterns are starting to feel familiar—or harder to reason about on your own—that’s normal.

At Inciteful, everything starts with a Growth Assessment.

That’s where we get context, challenge assumptions, and decide what kind of support actually makes sense.

If some of these patterns are starting to feel familiar—or harder to reason about on your own—that’s normal.

At Inciteful, everything starts with a Growth Assessment.

That’s where we get context, challenge assumptions, and decide what kind of support actually makes sense.

If some of these patterns are starting to feel familiar—or harder to reason about on your own—that’s normal.

At Inciteful, everything starts with a Growth Assessment.

That’s where we get context, challenge assumptions, and decide what kind of support actually makes sense.

Ongoing Support

This is how most founders end up working with us.

If you’re making a lot of decisions at once—or you can feel that today’s choices are going to affect things a few months from now—ongoing advisory gives you someone to think with as things unfold. We work together regularly, pressure-test decisions, and adjust as your situation changes.

Some teams prefer a monthly setup. Others like having a pack of sessions they can use when they need them. Either way, it’s meant to be flexible and grounded in what you’re actually dealing with.

→ See how ongoing support works

JumpStart (Application-Based)

JumpStart is for teams who want a starting point, but aren’t ready for ongoing work yet.

Each quarter, we work with a small number of startups through a Growth Assessment and a short follow-up session. The goal is to help you get oriented—what matters most right now, what doesn’t, and what would be worth focusing on next.

JumpStart is limited and application-based.

→ Apply for JumpStart