Common Startup Engineering Mistakes

As I have been working in startups for the past decade, and as everyone said, 90% of startups fail. 😓😅 and I personally can confirm this is absolutely true. But what’s even more weird and sadly funny is that, despite each startup’s claim to be unique, they often succumb to the same set of problems, eventually die because of that. 😔💥

Here is what I found in my experience, especially on the engineering side. 🛠️

When you’re a founder, you wear many hats, and the temptation to quickly assemble an engineering team can be overwhelming. It’s easy to turn to friends or outsourcing companies for help. However, this approach can backfire spectacularly. 🙅‍♂️💔

• Friendship vs. Commitment: Friends may be great engineers, but they often lack the commitment and dedication that a true team member or partner possesses. Your startup’s success might not be their top priority, leading to less-than-optimal results. 🤝❌🏆

A memorable example involved a startup with three founders who lacked technical expertise but relied on a busy friend in the Bay Area – a recipe for disaster, as you can imagine. 🌉🤯

• The Outsourcing Mirage: Hiring outsourcing companies without any in-house technical expertise is equally risky. It’s akin to entrusting your hard-earned money to an unknown neighbor promising high returns without understanding their qualifications or track record. 🏢💰🤷‍♂️

• Part-Time Consultants as CTOs: Consider the scenario of hiring a part-time consultant as your CTO. Part-time commitments inherently mean they have other obligations, leaving less room for dedicated attention to your project. And if you are a solo founder, this could be a killer combo in your startup. Everyone is busy in a weird way, not for your startup. 🤔👨‍💼🕒🚀 No further explanation is necessary in this case. 🤷‍♂️🚫