Wanting to avoid potential pitfalls is worthy -- but also realize that you won't avoid them all no matter what you do, so learning how to recover from them is also important.<p>For me, there's only one mistake (out of thousands) that I really regret: I had a company fail following a great success because I didn't start efforts to develop the next product early enough. This meant that when I did, the project became a "bet the company" sort of deal and I lost that bet.
One big regret I have is not prioritizing work-life balance sooner. I was so focused on growing the startup that I burned out and didn’t spend enough time with family and friends. It’s crucial to find that balance early on—it’s good for both your health and the company’s long-term success.
Selecting co founders or key employees only based on what I thought they could contribute in terms of skills or expertise while ignoring red flags about their character flaws.