Perfection is the Startup Killer
Most founders fail before they even start—and it’s not for the reason you think. A surprising experiment reveals why perfection is the enemy of success. Read on to escape the trap
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Perfection is the Startup Killer (And Why You Should Ship Fast)
For years, I believed there was a Harvard study proving that quantity beats quality in creative work.
Turns out… it wasn’t from Harvard at all.
The real story comes from a book called Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. But even though the study might not have Ivy League origins, its lesson is one of the most important for startup founders.
Let me break it down.
The Experiment: Quantity vs. Perfection
In Art & Fear, a ceramics teacher splits a class into two groups:
1️⃣ The "Quantity Group" – They were graded on the sheer amount of pottery they produced. The more pieces they made, the higher their grade.
2️⃣ The "Quality Group" – They were graded on making one single "perfect" pot by the end of the month.
At the end of the experiment, the results shocked everyone.
👉 The best pots—the highest-quality, most well-crafted pieces—didn’t come from the "Quality Group." They came from the students who had focused on producing more work, not on perfection.
Why? Because the "Quantity Group" was constantly iterating, learning, and improving. The more pots they made, the more they refined their skills. Meanwhile, the "Quality Group" spent so much time theorizing and planning that they didn’t get enough real practice.
More work = more learning.
This principle is exactly the same for startups.
Why This Matters for Founders
Too many people delay launching their startup because they’re trying to make it perfect from day one. But just like in the ceramics experiment, the highest-quality companies aren’t built by overthinking—they’re built by iterating fast and improving over time.
Look at the world’s top founders:
Jeff Bezos started Amazon in a garage, personally packing books and shipping them himself.
Elon Musk launched Zip2 while sleeping in his office and cold-calling newspapers.
Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg built their first products as messy prototypes, not polished final versions.ç
None of them started perfectly. They started fast, learned quickly, and got better by doing.
The 3-Step Formula to Escape the Perfection Trap
🔥 1. Launch Fast (Even If It’s Ugly).
Ship when your product is 70% ready, not 100%. The market will tell you what to fix.
⚡ 2. Iterate Relentlessly.
Quantity leads to quality. The more you ship, the faster you’ll find product-market fit.
🚀 3. Stop Overthinking.
Version 1 will suck. That’s normal. The only failure is never launching at all.
PS: Learn more about how to ship fast here 👇
Let’s ship. 🚀
