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One of the most subtle — and costly — mistakes founders make is building products around their own preferences. You like the scent. You like the texture. You like the packaging. You like the story. So you assume customers will too. Sometimes they do.Often, they don’t. And when the market disagrees, it doesn’t argue — it just doesn’t buy. You Are Not the Customer Founders are usually outliers. You’re closer to the product, more emotionally invested, and far more forgiving than

One of the most common misconceptions founders have is believing that once their product is live on Amazon, sales will magically follow. The thinking goes: Amazon has traffic, customers are already shopping there, and if your product is good, it will naturally get discovered. That’s not how Amazon works. Amazon doesn’t push your product. You push your product on Amazon. Amazon Is a Marketplace, Not a Marketing Partner Amazon’s priority is simple: sell what already sells. The

One of the biggest myths in modern entrepreneurship is that selling direct-to-consumer (DTC) is cheaper, easier, or more profitable than selling through retail or wholesale. Years ago, that might have been true. Today, it’s one of the fastest ways founders lose money if they don’t understand the real costs. DTC isn’t cheap.It ’s just different. direct-to-consumer The Illusion of High Margins On paper, DTC looks amazing. You sell at full retail price, cut out the middleman, an

(And Over-Complying Too Early) One of the most dangerous mistakes a founder can make is treating compliance as something to “deal with later.” When you’re focused on product development and sales, compliance feels like paperwork that slows you down — until it stops your business completely. But there’s another mistake on the opposite end of the spectrum: over-compliance . Some founders freeze their business by trying to be perfect, bulletproof, and future-proof before the pro

One of the most painful surprises for founders isn’t slow sales — it’s everything that happens after  the sale. Returns, damaged units, leaking packages, broken seals, mispicks, and defects are part of every physical-product business. The mistake isn’t that these problems happen.The mistake is not planning for them and not tracking them. If you don’t measure problems, you can’t control them. Returns and Defects Are Inevitable No matter how good your product is, some percentag

One of the most expensive mistakes a founder can make is manufacturing a product before truly validating it. It usually starts with confidence — you believe in the idea, the product makes sense, the samples look great, and early feedback feels positive. So you move forward, place a large order, and commit real money. Then reality shows up.The product doesn’t move the way you expected.Customers don’t reorder.Ads don’t convert.Retail buyers hesitate. And suddenly, you’re stuck

One of the biggest mistakes founders make is waiting too long to build relationships. Most people only reach out when they need  something — a favor, an introduction, a rush order, better pricing, or help fixing a problem. By the time urgency shows up, the relationship doesn’t exist yet. Strong businesses aren’t built only on products or pricing. They’re built on relationships formed long before they’re needed . Relationships Are Built Before There’s a Problem The strongest r

One of the most common mistakes founders make as they grow is hiring people too early—before they have clear systems in place. But there’s a second mistake that often follows: building systems once and never refining them . Systems aren’t “set it and forget it.” They should evolve as your business grows. Hiring without systems creates chaos. Hiring into outdated systems creates frustration. Both slow you down. People Don’t Fix Broken Systems Founders often hire because they’r

In the beginning, most founders focus heavily on how the packaging looks — the design, the color, the labels, the aesthetic. And sure, visual appeal matters. But another mistake I’ve made (and seen many founders make) is focusing so much on how packaging looks that you ignore how well it actually performs in real life. Beautiful packaging can still leak, jam, crack, clog, peel, fade, or be a terrible user experience. Customers don’t care how pretty it looks if it fails in the

When you’re building a brand, you quickly discover there’s no shortage of “industry experts.” They show up with big promises, confident opinions, and formulas for success. They’ve “been there,” they “know the market,” and they “can take you to the next level.” At least, that’s what they say. The mistake is assuming every expert with experience—or a great story—is actually qualified to guide your business. The truth is, many experts are repeating theories, not real results. An

Launching Too Many SKUs at Once (and “Filling the Line” Instead of Expanding Smartly) Many founders think the path to growth is adding more and more variations of their original product: more scents, more sizes, more colors, more formulas. That approach feels like you’re building a “full line,” but what actually happens is you end up spreading yourself thin — and locking up cash in the wrong places. A better approach (especially early) is to launch different products , not en

When you’re building a brand, it’s natural to dream about landing national retailers. But a huge mistake founders make is assuming that big retailers automatically mean big profits. Many times, the better profit and healthier business actually come from DTC (direct-to-consumer)  or smaller specialty channels. And Here’s the Twist: DTC Isn’t Automatically More Profitable Either A lot of founders leave retail and think, “Okay, I’ll sell DTC, that’s where the real money is.” Not

In the beginning, founders fall in love with their own idea and assume others will feel the same. We think, “This product is amazing—who wouldn’t want it?” But the truth is: some people won’t like your scent, some won’t like your texture, some won’t care about your ingredients, and some just won’t be your customer—ever. Trying to make a product everyone loves usually turns it into something average… and average products don’t win. The Market Doesn’t Vote Theoretically—It Vote

In today’s market, brands are increasingly aware of their environmental impact. Packaging plays a crucial role in this shift toward sustainability. As someone deeply involved in private-label manufacturing for natural and sustainable products, I’ve seen firsthand how innovative packaging can transform a brand’s story and customer experience. Embracing eco-friendly packaging solutions is not just a trend; it’s a necessity for businesses aiming to thrive responsibly. Embracing

As a founder, you’re surrounded by opinions. Everyone has advice: friends, family, buyers, investors, agencies, consultants, influencers, YouTube “experts,” and even other brand owners. And the more you grow, the more advice you’ll get. Listening to people is valuable — it’s how you learn. But the mistake is listening to everyone without applying your own understanding, context, or judgment. No one knows your product, your brand, your numbers, or your customers the way you do

One of the most dangerous assumptions founders make is believing that all marketplaces work the same. They don’t. Selling on Amazon is nothing like selling into Walmart. Selling wholesale is nothing like selling DTC. Boutique retail, grocery chains, big-box stores, spas, salons, B2B distributors — every channel has its own price structures, margin expectations, lead times, compliance rules, packaging standards, and customer behavior. Not understanding the marketplace you’re e

(Your Business Once a Year — Your Products Once a Quarter) One of the largest hidden dangers in entrepreneurship is assuming that what worked last year will work this year — or that what worked this quarter will work next quarter. Markets shift. Customer expectations evolve. Competitors improve. Your own priorities change. Yet most founders keep running their business on last year’s strategy and last quarter’s assumptions. Not reevaluating regularly is how brands get stuck, l

In business, few things can push you forward faster than the right partners — and few things can drag you down harder than the wrong ones. Whether it’s a co-packer, a designer, a distributor, a marketing agency, or even a friend who wants to “go in” on an idea with you, choosing the wrong partner is one of the most painful and expensive mistakes a founder can make. It doesn’t just cost money. It costs momentum, time, energy, and sometimes your reputation. The Trap of “Good En

One of the most overlooked mistakes founders make—and one I’ve personally repeated more times than I’d like to admit—is sacrificing their entire life in the name of the business. We tell ourselves it’s temporary, that the late nights, constant stress, and endless problem-solving are part of the journey. Yes, building a brand requires hustle. But there’s a fine line between working hard and destroying your life balance. Founders often ignore that line until it’s too late. When

Every founder takes shortcuts. It’s part of surviving the early stages of business. You’re short on time, short on money, and constantly trying to keep things moving. Maybe you skip a test batch to hit a deadline, use cheaper packaging to meet MOQ, or launch without the perfect marketing plan. Shortcuts aren’t always bad — sometimes they’re necessary. But the real mistake is not knowing when and why you’re taking them.  Because the moment you start cutting corners without und