Build What Matters: Ditch the Hype and Focus on the Basics

As a community builder in a nascent or developing ecosystem, your most valuable resource is time. Unlike more mature ecosystems, where infrastructure, funding, and engagement models are well-established, a developing ecosystem requires intentional and strategic effort to grow. However, many community builders fall into a common time-wasting trap— focusing on activities meant for more advanced ecosystems. These missteps can drain your energy and slow your progress. Instead, a sharper focus on foundational work and sustainable growth will yield better results. As always, ditch the hype and execute the basics.

A common mistake I observe in nascent and developing ecosystems is focusing on activities designed for mature ecosystems rather than what your community actually needs at its current stage.

For instance, organizing large-scale startup conferences or attempting to attract venture capital when local entrepreneurs still lack mentorship and basic business support can be counterproductive. For many ecosystem (not community) actors, they need an extremely positive and obvious impression of the maturity of your ecosystem before they engage. If you try to fake maturity or if you yourself only have the illusion of readiness, this opportunity is lost.

A few Common time-wasting traps in early-stage communities include:

• Hosting High-Profile Events Without Local Buy-in

1. Why it doesn’t work: Many early-stage communities rush to host grand conferences, hackathons, or startup pitch nights without first establishing a strong base of engaged participants. Without a solid foundation of active entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors, these events often fail to create meaningful impact. Sometimes they are just embarrassing to outsiders.Better alternative: Start small. Organize local meetups, founder roundtables, or mentorship circles to build trust and engagement and then start to scale up the event size and engagement.

• Pursuing Venture Capital Before Founders Are Ready

1. Why it doesn’t work: In developing ecosystems, many founders are working on limited knowledge and thus still refining their business models. The ecosystem has a limited number of experienced founders to share the way to scale a business in today's environment. Seeking venture capital too early wastes time because investors expect current best practices, validated traction, strong experienced teams, and clear market potential—things many local startups may not yet have or even know what they require.Better alternative: Focus on capacity building—help entrepreneurs improve their pitch decks, refine business strategies, and access grants or angel investment before targeting VCs.

• Creating Complex Governance Structures Too Soon

1. Why it doesn’t work: Some community builders try to establish boards, committees, and formal leadership structures too early. While governance can be important, excessive formalization can signal to new founders that the organization is more important than entrepreneurial success. It also slows down decision-making, creates bureaucracy, and can discourage organic participation.Better alternative: Encourage informal leadership where the most engaged members take ownership of specific roles. Governance should evolve as the community matures, not be created or forced from the start.

• Prioritizing Media Recognition Over Real Impact

1. Why it doesn’t work: Some community builders chase PR, social media visibility, or awards to signal success. While external recognition is nice, it’s meaningless if the community (i.e. the founders) itself isn’t thriving.Better alternative: Focus on building real success stories—help startups gain customers, form partnerships, and achieve milestones. Celebrate those wins. Media attention will follow naturally when the ecosystem produces tangible results.

• Overengineering Support Programs Instead of Solving Real Needs

1. Why it doesn’t work: Many community builders design advanced accelerators, or training programs without first identifying what founders actually need. This leads to low participation, wasted resources, and ineffective impact.Better alternative: Conduct listening sessions with entrepreneurs. Identify their pain points and offer simple, high-value solutions, such as peer mentorship groups, co-working meetups, or 1 on 1 access to industry experts.

Your time as a community builder is best spent laying the groundwork for long-term growth rather than chasing more advanced and frankly premature goals. Focus on what your community needs now, and the maturity will follow naturally.

By building what matters--choosing wisely where to invest your time--you ensure that your ecosystem grows in a way that is organic, sustainable, and impactful.