The Most Overrated Advice I Got as a First-Time Founder

You’ve heard it before:

It’s the kind of advice that sounds brilliant—until you’re 6 months into a product no one’s paying for, wondering where you went wrong.

Here’s why this advice messed me up:

• “People” is too vague. Who are they? What do they really need?

• “Want” doesn’t mean “will pay for.”

• It assumes you already know the problem worth solving.

Instead of clarity, this advice gave me busywork.

What I Wish I Heard Instead:

Because people don’t buy products. They buy relief.

This Sums It Up Pretty Well

It’s a wild convo with a 20-year-old who’s built multiple viral products—and thinks the entire “YC first” mindset is a trap.

The TL;DR

You don’t need a famous framework.

You need to understand one real problem—and build something people can’t ignore.

A hell of a lot better than “Just build something people want.”

Best,
Peter Delle