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PG

Paul Graham

07/17/19

@ Y Combinator

Instead of focusing solely on their vision, founders should find users with problems they are willing to pay to solve, and work on fixing those issues.

Video

YC

Paul Graham: What are some common mistakes founders make?

@ Y Combinator

Paul Graham: What are some common mistakes founders make?

07/17/19

Related Takeaways

DT

Des Traynor

12/13/17

@ Y Combinator

I advise focusing on understanding your target users and the problems they face, and then providing solutions that align with your product's capabilities.

YC

Y Combinator Cast

10/07/23

@ Y Combinator

As a startup founder, I must focus on my customers first and understand the problems they care about, ensuring I stay laser-focused on providing solutions.

YC

Y Combinator Cast

07/22/23

@ Y Combinator

Founders often get distracted by coding and overbuilding instead of focusing on understanding the core problems their users face.

MS

Michael Seibel

11/30/21

@ Y Combinator

Many founders mistakenly prioritize investors over customers, thinking they need to please investors to succeed, but the focus should be on solving customer problems instead.

PG

Paul Graham

07/17/19

@ Y Combinator

Founders often neglect to pay enough attention to their users, instead getting lost in their own vision and ideas.

YC

Y Combinator Cast

12/27/24

@ Y Combinator

It's essential for founders to focus on creating something that people genuinely want, rather than getting sidetracked by other operational challenges.

JF

Jared Friedman

11/18/22

@ Y Combinator

The most common mistake founders make is building something that doesn't solve a real problem for users, often resulting in a solution in search of a problem.

YC

Y Combinator Cast

03/01/25

@ Y Combinator

Young founders often prioritize what investors want over solving problems they genuinely care about, which can hinder their potential.

MS

Michael Seibel

04/29/23

@ Y Combinator

Founders who have experienced the challenges their customers face can create better solutions than those who haven't, as they can empathize with the user's perspective.