Dear Colleague,
I’ve often encountered this prevailing fantasy among both budding entrepreneurs and seasoned founders — the belief that a perfect launch is critical to the success of a startup. It’s a comforting thought, isn’t it? The idea that if you get everything just right from the start, success will follow like night follows day. But this is a myth I’ve seen unravel time and again, both in the startups I’ve backed and in my own ventures.
Let me share something from my practice as an IVF specialist. I saw a patient last week who reminded me of this myth. She was convinced that everything had to align perfectly — her health, the timing, the clinic’s success rates — for her IVF cycle to succeed. But as I’ve learned through years of helping couples conceive, the path to parenthood is rarely linear. Similarly, the path to building a successful startup is filled with unexpected turns and adjustments.
In both fields, the obsession with perfection can be paralyzing. In IVF, it might mean delaying treatment in pursuit of an ideal that doesn’t exist. In startups, it often means waiting for the perfect product or market conditions before launching. The reality is, both life and business require a degree of risk-taking and an acceptance that the first step is just that — a first step, not the final destination.
Over the years, I’ve developed a simple yet effective thirty-day execution plan that I often share with founders to help them move beyond this myth. The plan is straightforward and focuses on action and learning rather than striving for an unattainable ideal.
Days 1 to 7: Finding the Real Problem
The first week is about deep diving into one reachable segment of your market. Conduct interviews, observe user behavior, and identify the real problems they face. Record their workarounds and the consequences of those. This is akin to the initial patient consultation in IVF, where understanding the couple’s unique challenges is crucial. Finish this week with a single question that deserves a test, a spending ceiling, and an explicit decision rule.
Days 8 to 14: Building the Simplest Prototype
In the second week, build the simplest version of your solution that addresses the question from week one. Let users attempt a realistic task with it. This is your MVP, and like the first cycle of IVF, it’s not about perfection but about learning. Repair the largest obstacle you encounter, and prepare a clear pilot offer. Here, ask for concrete commitments and record declines as carefully as you do acceptances.
Days 15 to 21: Deliver the Pilot
Deliver your pilot program by the third week. Track completion, errors, and actual cash received. Engage with participants about specific events and investigate why some might fail to start or discontinue using your product. Make one focused revision based on the evidence. This step mirrors the adjustments we make in IVF treatments based on patient feedback and outcomes.
Days 22 to 30: Evaluating and Deciding the Next Step
In the final week, compare the results with your original decision rule. Estimate the delivery economics, including the founder’s labor, and seek the next commitment only when it naturally falls due. Decide whether to improve, test a different assumption, or stop. Schedule a later review for outcomes that need more time. Much like the follow-up consultations in IVF, this step is about understanding what worked and what didn’t, and deciding the next steps based on real data.
This structured approach not only helps in taking decisive actions but also in gaining a clearer understanding of your customers and their needs. It’s better to emerge from this month with a few customers you truly understand and a clear remaining question than an elaborate product with imaginary users. Allow yourself to start small, but take that beginning seriously enough to measure, improve, and charge fairly for the value it creates.
As I often tell my IVF patients, the journey is as important as the outcome. In the world of startups, the initial steps are not about getting everything right, but about setting the foundation for ongoing learning and adaptation. It’s a principle that resonates deeply across my work as a doctor and an investor.
The next step is simple: identify the customer you can speak to this week and the assumption you can test without risking money you cannot afford to lose. Put the conversation in your calendar. Through this process, your business will begin to take shape based on what you learn next.
I’ve seen the resilience of IVF patients transform their journeys, and I believe the same resilience can transform startups. For more insights into how these two worlds intersect and inform each other, you might find my reflections on how IVF consultations mirror startup pitches and how patients’ resilience inspires my investment philosophy enlightening.
In both domains, it’s about embracing imperfection and the uncertainties that come with it, trusting that each step taken is a step towards clarity and eventual success.
Warm regards,
Aniruddha
Part of the Building Frugal Startups: Lessons from the Trenches series — read the full guide.