Mistake 1: Overbuilding before you sell
Nikunj Jain, founder of OpenInApp, says the most common mistake he has seen, and made himself, is spending too much time building before ever trying to monetize.
Founders fall in love with the craft of building and keep pushing back the moment they start selling.
His analogy - you don't need to build the entire Taj Mahal before you sell your first ticket.
Build a garden, sell tickets for the garden. Add a tower, sell tickets for that too.
Keep building and selling in parallel instead of waiting for some imagined complete, perfect product.
He points out that companies in the US often start selling even before they start building.
Mistake 2: Raising too late
Fundraising isn't most founders' strength, and it rarely feels enjoyable, but Jain says the biggest error is starting the process too late.
Investors today aren't making decisions in one or two meetings - a real fundraising pipeline realistically takes two to three months.
Founders who wait for a product launch or some other milestone before starting the process often find themselves stuck raising for 12, 15, or even 18 months, cycling through feedback, fixes, and rejection while the business suffers.
Mistake 3: Not trusting the team
The third mistake, and the one Jain says separates good founders from great ones, is failing to build real trust with the team. You cannot build a company alone.
His approach is to give each team member accountability, responsibility, and the freedom to express themselves and make mistakes.
Micromanaging kills that.
If someone consistently cannot step up despite repeated, honest attempts to help them grow, that's when a founder should consider a change, not before.
Underlying all three, Jain's core belief is that perfection is not the goal.
The world is imperfect, and nothing built in it will be perfect either. Ship anyway.
Watch the full Conversation with Nikunj Jain
