The Lean Startup Taught Me Speed Over Perfection

I spent three months designing the perfect product. Then I showed it to users, and they hated it.

Eric Ries would say: "You validated the wrong assumptions."

The Lean Startup principle is radical: instead of planning everything, build fast, measure, learn, repeat.

This killed my perfectionism. And honestly? It was liberating.

At Vestcodes, we didn't wait for perfect documentation. We shipped. We asked users: "Does this solve your problem?" They said no. We adapted. Six iterations later, we had something useful.

That's the cycle Ries describes. Every week you don't ship is a week you don't learn.

The book made me realize: a 80% solution you test beats a 100% solution that's still in your head.

Perfection is the enemy of iteration. And iteration is the only way to find product-market fit.

If you're still planning your idea, show this to someone. Even if it's rough. Especially if it's rough. The feedback will teach you more than another three months of thinking.