Lessons Learned After Working with 30+ Startups in the Last 2 Years

Hii fellow indie hackers 👋

Over the past 2 years, I worked with 30+ small startups through Easy MVP. I helped them build MVP for their product.

I noticed that most of these startups didn’t make it past a year. I helped them as much as I could while I was there, but as soon as I left, they faced issues again—whether it was coding, finding PMF, or pivoting to new tech/ideas.

Here are some common mistakes I’ve noticed with all the failed startups I worked with:

1. Trying to Act Bigger Than They Are
   A lot of small startups try to look like big companies. They hire interns, create fancy roles, but they don’t even have an MVP or validated ideas yet.

Stop role-playing. Focus on building your product and validating your ideas first. You’ll never grow as big as you want if you’re too busy pretending.

2. Non-Tech Founders Without Tech Co-Founders
   If you’re non-tech, don’t try to do everything yourself. Find a technical co-founder. You focus on the vision, timelines, and strategy. They handle the building and coding.

I’ve seen non-tech founders trying to take on the tech side themselves, and it never ends well.

3. Hiring Too Much, Too Soon
   I’ve seen bootstrapping startups hire 2 designers, 3 engineers, 2 interns—then still hire me to build their MVP.

Why hire all these people if you’re just going to outsource the most crucial part of your startup? It makes no sense. Save your money and focus on building the MVP.

4. Hiring Without Clarity
   Hiring isn’t bad, but too many new founders hire without really knowing what they need. It’s a recipe for disaster. If you don’t know how to manage a team, it’s going to waste people’s time—and careers.

5. The Fluff Doesn’t Matter
   Docs, Figma screens, Jira—none of that stuff matters in the beginning. I’ve worked with over 30 startups using just Todoist and my MacBook. No extra gear, no fancy tools.

Focus on your product, not the distractions.

6. Build in Public
   One thing I learned early: Build in public and keep it lean. It’s helped me save money, learn faster, and hit 45k+ in revenue this year.

Simplicity, clarity, and focus on what matters. That’s what’s working for me.