Lessons Learned (Through Trials and Errors)
I want to share what I’ve learned and gathered during the process of starting a new project. These notes are my compass for future projects, and perhaps they can be yours too.
Every project needs a balance between these three pillars, but with a beating heart at the center: the user. A project without users is like a ship without a sea: beautiful, but useless. Remember: no matter how brilliant your code is or how many hours you’ve invested. The only real value is defined by those who use it.
"If you can draw it, you can do it."
They repeated this to me in college, and life taught me it’s true. A sketch on a napkin doesn’t guarantee success, but it does prevent getting lost along the way. Tools like Figma, diagrams, or even a sketchbook are key to defining styles and functionalities before writing the first line of code. The trick? Treat design like a map: it won’t avoid potholes, but it will tell you where to go.
Forget the obsession with seeking investors. Today, "camel startups" thrive: projects that are profitable from day one, surviving financial droughts because they prioritize efficiency. When should you seek capital? Only when you need to scale. These ventures run marathons, not sprints: they move slowly, steadily, and with their eyes on the horizon.
The best tech stack? The one your team knows best. Prioritize speed and reliability over novelty. A functional product today always beats a "perfect" one in a month. Technical issues? If users validate your idea, there will be time to refactor or migrate. Code elegance matters, but not as much as its usefulness.
No project is born successful. If users don’t respond, it’s not a failure: it’s a dress rehearsal. Dust yourself off, adjust what’s needed, and try again. The key is to listen, adapt, and remember that even giants stumbled before they flew.
Ready to start? Take that blank sheet, sketch your idea… And remember: the first step is never perfect, but it’s always necessary.