The Best Startup Checklist You Need to have

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Want to skip the fluff? Scroll down for the checklist!

Over the years, I’ve started quite a few startups—some saw a bit of success, but honestly, most of them didn’t work out.

So I took a step back and wrote down the reasons why each one failed and will give you a checklist if you want your startup to be successful. Spoiler alert: most of these are generally overlooked…

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🛡 VPN App (Acquired for $1K)

What went wrong:
I didn’t dig deep enough into the app’s current growth, traffic, or Play Store rankings. Turns out, it wasn’t doing well. Still, it made around $150 in one year, which isn’t nothing—but definitely not a win either.

Lesson learned:
Always do your homework before acquiring or launching a product. Check traction, reviews, rankings—anything that shows how it’s actually doing in the wild.

✍️ Linxful – AI SEO Content Generator

What went wrong:
This was my pride and joy at the time. I built the whole thing with no-code tools like Bubble, way before AI was trendy. But I barely marketed it—partly out of fear, not wanting to come off as “salesy.”

Lesson learned:
Marketing isn’t being pushy if your goal is to help someone. Even if 99 people say no, one yes can change everything. Be proud to share what you’ve built!

📦 eBay Reselling

What went wrong:
This was actually semi-successful. I made $2,000 in a single month flipping items. But I didn’t manage the risks well—like sudden returns or stock shortages—and I didn’t lock down a reliable supplier early on.

Lesson learned:
Have a game plan for what could go wrong. Think about logistics, returns, and building relationships with suppliers early.

✅ To-Do App

What went wrong:
This was my “learning to code” project. I got caught up in trying to make it perfect, which delayed the launch. And when I finally released it... crickets. Why? I did zero market or competition research.

Lesson learned:
Perfection can kill progress. It’s better to release something simple and test the waters than to spend months building something no one asked for.

So yeah, a lot of these didn’t work out. But that’s totally okay—as long as you’re failing forward. Every project taught me something new.

If you’re thinking about starting something yourself, here’s a quick checklist I wish I had early on. These come from both experience and advice from mentors who’ve actually built successful businesses:

🚀 Startup Success Checklist

1. Market Research
Understand who your audience is and what they really need. Don't just assume.

2. Competition Analysis
Know who else is solving the problem and how you can stand out (or do it better).

3. Investment Costs
Figure out what it’s going to cost—not just to build, but to grow and sustain it.

4. Clear Pain Point
Make sure your product solves a real problem. “Nice to have” won’t cut it.

5. MVP Release Timeframe
Don’t aim for perfect—launch a simple version fast and improve it with feedback.

6. Marketing Strategy
Start talking about your product early, and often. Build buzz before you even launch.

That’s all for now. Hopefully this helps you dodge some of the mistakes I made. If you're currently working on something or have questions, feel free to hit reply—I’d love to hear about it.

Catch you in the next one 👋