End of Summer Reflections: Advice for Founders - what not to do when you get lost

All founders get lost from time to time. I've been there as a founder, as a mentor to founders, as a Startup Board Director, and most importantly as a friend. But it is important to note that when an entrepreneur gets lost there are better and worse ways to react.

When founders are lost, demoralized, or unsure of what to do they default, like all people, to their safe space. For most founders that safe space or comfort zone almost always defaults?back to building more Product, or worse, a default to focus on nearly meaningless marketing vanity?metrics like the number of Facebook followers or the number of startup competitions won.

Founders, don't despair. During the entrepreneurial?journey we all get lost, find ourselves demoralized, and unsure of what to do. At these times do not default to the easy things within your control; like building that one more feature. Instead, double down on the core! Go back to your customers! Engage with them deeply. Focus on where value is being created, not captured.

It is this default back to value creation and Product Market Fit that will help you find your way back to focus, progress, and value creation.

*of course if you are a Social?Commerce?company or another type of D2C brand social?followers are probably not a vanity?metric. And in some limited instances Startup competitions can be a great catalyst; especially in insular industries. But not when they are done due to lack of a better option?or coherent strategy.