Startups can experience a false sense of security after gaining traction. Panic, when absent, can lead to complacent behavior, undermining the initial scrappiness that fueled early growth. Founders may start to feel that traditional strategies, driven by ego, replace the hard work that led to success. Traction can also create an identity crisis, causing founders to alter their behavior based on audience perception. It's crucial to continue engaging in proactive, albeit uncomfortable, actions rather than succumbing to the illusion of safety.
With traction came the deadliest startup drug: the illusion of being safe. Turns out, nothing kills momentum faster than thinking you have some.
The little voice that says 'We're past that now' is the beginning of the obituary. That voice mistakenly believes success means stopping desperate, undignified actions.
You got traction by doing desperate, undignified, slightly unscalable things. And now you think you've earned your way out of them? No, all you earned is a longer to-do list.
Traction can trigger a full identity crisis. You become a caricature, stopping dangerous, necessary decisions because those don't test well for your image.
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