Makers, founders, marketers... how do you make sure you're not lowering your standards?
The world is changing incredibly fast, and I feel like this is true for the tech world in many ways.
Everything seems to be outdated so quickly.
How do you manage to react quickly to changes and not fall short of the bar?
Especially when you build products and market them.
In the past, I often used to fight with self-impostor syndrome, and nothing was "good enough" for me. It kind of forces you to constantly work on something, to work on yourself, which is nice, but it also has a disadvantage: you can't really enjoy anything, because the success that happened happened 5 minutes ago, and you have to move on. đ
Most often, due to some failure to follow the standards, I always:
continued my education: books, workshops, lectures
went to conferences as part of networking
and I'm always on Product Hunt, so that I can see those tech products among the first
Would love to hear how you approach this.
Replies
Absolutely true, Nika! Things are changing very, very quickly.
As for me, it's simple: I dedicate at least 5 hours a week to learning. Sometimes I even go overboard. But I always test out tools, watch YouTube videos on how to use a given tool, and I get inspired by threads on Twitter.
But honestly, you just can't do without setting aside hours in your calendar for learning. Otherwise, you never find the time, and new things just keep popping up.
@byalexai I think we are almost the same â thriving to be better and educate/study the things. That's why we are friends :D
@busmark_w_nika I thought it was because our favorite site is Product Hunt. xD
But yes, some of the products are discovered here and theyâre the reason I want to integrate them into my daily life, so youâre right. xDD
@byalexai We need to be on the same wave and it seems we are :D
As a marketer, I think there are two key things that help me stay sharp:
1. Motivation to grow and break through limits
I constantly avoid staying too comfortable or safe for too long. I intentionally push myself into a bit of anxiety or stress. That kind of discomfort helps me break out of my comfort zone and keeps me growing.
2. When I start to feel overwhelmed, I dig into the root cause
Books help me build long-term mindset shifts and deeper understanding
I ask AI, read articles, or look for tips and tricks to solve short-term, tactical issues
Platforms like Product Hunt or other startup communities let me observe how others succeed and fail, and sometimes help me discover tools that solve problems quickly
@hwiidg The first point! Aren't we a family? :D BTW, if you have tips for good startup communities, which ones do you mean? Links are valuable :D
@busmark_w_nika Thanks Nika, love that you noticed
For startup stuff, I usually check:
⢠Indie Hackers
⢠YC Startup School (their YouTubeâs solid)
On the growth side, Iâm into Lennyâs Newsletter
Used to read a lot of Sean Ellis and Brian Balfour on Medium
YC also drops some timeless growth gems
What about you? Got any favs I should check out?
Trend Scaling
To keep up with trends, I mostly read articles and try out new technologies within my field (software engineering, predominantly Frontend web engineering). For me, scaling has involved delving into backend and app development, then expanding into AI/ML.
I do it in bits, between a semi-full schedule, and a pseudo-planned life, I just do it.
Imposter Syndrome
The thing about imposter syndrome is...
Comes when you just did a big thing
When you are not living up to your standards
For me, I perform an analysis of my life, reflecting on the things I have done, all hurdles, and what it has taken me to get to where I am.
When it becomes overwhelming, I reach out to friends to hang out with them. The talking usually gets my mind of things, and as we talk and drift through topics, sharing ups and downs, I calm and steel myself towards the future.
The execution mindset, you may call it, because I've started to focus on executions of recent đ
@franklivania I am curious about those friends. Because it matters who you befriend. Are they also founders?
@busmark_w_nika I have some founder friends, then people who are just human. All various walks of life. Learning from all angles is the best way to gain perspective, and I cherish that
App Finder
Yes, it sure is hard to keep up with the fast changing tech world!
Certainly one has to be learning "almost constantly". I think the most important "trick" here is to focus on the things that really matter for what you're doing, and systematically find out and learn what is needed for your projects. While it is clearly also important to follow all the major developments in the tech world / your area, one has to be very careful not to loose time with things that are not really important.
To learn things, I always prefer textbooks over courses, workshops, tutorials etc., that way I can learn systematically, at my own speed, and leave things out that I don't need.
@konrad_sx If you have any good recommendation for a course/workshop, feel free to share :)
I think that being adaptable and responsive to change is more key than keeping any one part of my perspective static, standards included. But I also think that most people in our space want to produce good work and make an impact in whatever they're doing.
So as long as I am paying attention to any gaps between intent and impact â what I think I am doing, versus what I am actually doing â and try to keep that gap as small as possible, I think I'll be okay. I think most suboptimal outcomes result in teams not measuring/understanding the effects of their choices until it is too late.
It's okay to be wrong. How quickly you notice that you're wrong, how high you let the stakes get before that point, and how quickly you course correct will determine whether you're ultimately successful.
Kinda abstract speaking in these terms, but hopefully someone understands what I am saying.
@cholden_lewis The good thing about being wrong is realising it and doing something about that fact (in my case it results in learning) :) I got you.
@busmark_w_nika This resonates so much. The pace of tech evolution is both inspiring and exhausting at times and yes, that feeling of âwhat I just did is already outdatedâ hits hard.
Iâve been through the same loop where self-impostor syndrome pushes me to constantly keep going learning, improving, building but leaves little room to actually feel proud of wins.
Whatâs helped me a bit is building reflection time into my routine, even if itâs 10 minutes to note what went well. It sounds small, but it makes a difference.
Also, I love that youâre active on Product Hunt I do the same! Itâs like a radar for whatâs next :)
Question for you: How do you decide when to stop tweaking something and say âItâs good enough to launchâ?
@sania_khan10 Thank you for your contribution and also kind words! :) Answering your question: Ideally, when my product is tested by someone experienced (3 â 5 people) who are authorities in a certain field and gave me feedback that was applied and approved by them. Because the perfection holds you back from execution and launching :)
@busmark_w_nika You're absolutely right perfection can often delay progress. I really admire your approach of validating through real feedback from experienced individuals. That kind of focused testing not only builds trust but also drives smarter execution. Thanks again for sharing your perspective đ
having a rough thesis in mind for where the world(market, tech) is headed and how my product fits helps me. without that anchor, each new information, model release, splashy headline can make the ground feel shaky.
I still stay curious: read, listen, chat, and learn to stay on top, but I try to be honest with myself on each new signal comes through: is this actually useful for my product or just a shiny distraction? If it bends the arc of where I believe the market is going, I dig in. If the answer is ânoâ I let it pass and stay on course.
Iâve over-indexed both ways: chasing every shiny object and, at other times, tuning out so long until i can notice the lag, and quality feel short. a simple filter between new signal and action helps me hone quality without driving me crazy.
if i come across something really exciting and decide to act on it, may be its a slice of a product or a GTM motion that i want to tighten, i focus just on one area each week and ship.
@narayan_prasath From your statements, I feel that I should choose some project or build a product because it sets the scope of information (filter), I need for my project. Hmmm... but I need to come first with that idea for the product :D
One of the hardest lessons Iâve learned is that standards without prioritization are just anxiety in disguise.
You canât hold everything to a 10. So we define where a 10 is non-negotiable, like as concerns user trust, compliance, performance, and allow a 7 or 8 in other areas if it means we ship on time. I dont see it as lowering the bar. Itâs about making sure youâre sweating the right stuff.
@a11yexpert I think that such decisions are made easier when you have a buddy (partner in crime) who ensures you that everything will be okay. Because the "skill" you described, is gained very hard :D
@ibe_godswill Good point actually. With "high standards" you will know what the person stands behind (what values he/she has). :)
Thank you for sharing resources. Just out of curiosity, can you also recommend any good conferences? :) I would like to visit some (I have already been to Websummit, Slush so I would like to try something new, ideally within Europe but I am open to anything) :)
As a marketer and designer, Iâve felt my own standards â or perfectionist tendencies â creep up the more I use AI.
Thereâs so much AI creative slop and halfâbaked tooling out there right now that I want to slow down and reconnect with my own bar for quality. .... But the more I slow down, the more anxious I get that all the fastâchanging tech will pass me by. Itâs a doubleâedged sword.