17 hard-earned startup rules before your first real shot

Brutal operator advice: validate first, sell before building, and avoid distractions that drain years. Uneven takes aside, the distribution/growth notes are reusable and worth applying early.

[ KEY POINTS ]

Idea validation came first for a reason: 5 years were wasted building things nobody needed, so demand checks beat code velocity.
Feature sales happened before implementation through 10-20 user DMs a day; that keeps roadmap decisions tied to real pull.
SEO was called the biggest regret after 14 years of delay. Distribution debt compounds long before product polish matters.
Global-first and B2B-first were framed as better upside bets, while consumer apps were treated like a monetization lottery.
Cut weak projects within 1 year, ignore hype cycles like crypto, and avoid corporate partnerships that burn focus without shipping outcomes.

Originalnews.ycombinator.com/item?id=38755180Read original →

// related

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#0001Indie business GeekNews5 hours ago
Even a large wiki can vanish from `Google` indexing
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Source: news.hada.io/topic?id=29728Read original →
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#0002
#0002Indie business GeekNews10 hours ago
Disney Erased FiveThirtyEight
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Source: news.hada.io/topic?id=29708Read original →
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#0003
#0003Indie business r/SideProject13 hours ago
Reddit drives **426** waitlist signups before a `DuoView Pro` Kickstarter
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Source: www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/comments/1tisgkc/69_days_unRead original →
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