Founders sometimes believe that just because a trend is popular, their startup will succeed in that space. They fail to recognize that entering a market at its peak can be detrimental, as they are competing against established players who have already gained significant advantages.

Many successful tech companies, like Amazon and eBay, began by dominating a small niche before expanding into larger markets.

Successful companies often start with small markets and expand over time; going after a large market from the beginning usually indicates a lack of proper market definition.

The best startups are often not doing what everyone else is doing, which allows them time to develop their product and technology before facing competition.

Join a startup that is already a 'rocket ship'—a company that is gaining traction and success—because the best talent is drawn to ventures that are already proving to be successful. Good people will wait to join a startup until they see it's on a breakout trajectory.

Extreme outlier companies often succeed because they last long enough to catch multiple waves of opportunity, compounding their success over time.

The founders of most successful startups often don't realize early on how big they're going to get; they work on something they themselves want and hope that many others will want it too.

Companies that successfully identify valuable ideas can experience rapid revenue growth, as evidenced by startups that have significantly increased their revenue shortly after launching.

The most common path for really big startups involves founders working on ideas that seem unpromising at first but blossom into something significant, driven by their commitment and vision.