--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the biggest mistakes that founders…" description: "\"One of the biggest mistakes that founders can make is doing something that maybe seems like a great idea, and seems like a good use of time, but actual..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/julia-hartz-5600_biggest-mistake_one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-that-founder_3164062.jpg" --- # One of the biggest mistakes that founders can make is… ![“One of the biggest mistakes that founders can make is doing something that maybe seems like a great idea, and seems like a good use of time, but actually isn't measurable, significant, incremental growth.” quote by Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/julia-hartz-5600_biggest-mistake_one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-that-founder_3164062.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/julia-hartz-5600_biggest-mistake_one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-that-founder_3164062.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/julia-hartz-5600_biggest-mistake_one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-that-founder_3164062.jpg) > “One of the biggest mistakes that founders can make is doing something that maybe seems like a great idea, and seems like a good use of time, but actually isn't measurable, significant, incremental growth.” [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Founders should focus on measurable, significant, incremental growth rather than vague ideas. **In simple terms:** Prioritize measurable growth. Key Takeaway Measure impact, iterate. Themes entrepreneurship growth focus Mood pragmatic focused Type advice business When to use this quote - startup planning - product development - investor pitches - team alignment Key Concepts metrics incremental progress validation Questions to Reflect On - How do you quantify progress? - What metrics matter most? A Different Perspective Ideas without metrics can waste resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biggest mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biggest-mistake/) [Biggest Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biggest-mistakes-767858/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Entrepreneurship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurship/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Founders Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founders-make-1141784/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Incremental Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incremental-growth-4081761/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Mistakes Founders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes-founders-1362669/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Use of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-of-time/) ## Related quotes > [“Setting the early equity split in stone, without allowing for changes, is one of the biggest mistakes founders can make.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-wasserman/setting-the-early-equity-split-in-stone-without-allowing-for-changes/) [Noam Wasserman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-wasserman/) > [I believe the two biggest mistakes made by the Founders were giving Federal judges life-time appointments and permitting them to be confirmed without the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay-hooker/i-believe-the-two-biggest-mistakes-made-by-the-founders-were-giving/) [John Jay Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay-hooker/) > [At many companies, business development is treated as a sales tool for incremental growth, but I believe that business development can bend our growth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-johnson/at-many-companies-business-development-is-treated-as-a-sales-tool-for/) [Peggy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-johnson/) > [Some of the biggest mistakes, you make in life are out of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-of-the-biggest-mistakes-you-make-in-life-are-out-of-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To me, I always listen to what my instincts tell me. The biggest mistakes I've ever made is when I've ignored what I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-bailey/to-me-i-always-listen-to-what-my-instincts-tell-me-the-biggest/) [Glenda Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-bailey/) > [The biggest mistakes most parents make (and believe me, I'm guilty of these too) seem very inconsequential. They're little, day-to-day things that, at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/the-biggest-mistakes-most-parents-make-and-believe-me-i-m-guilty-of/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [The biggest mistakes by most human beings: listening half; understanding quarter, and telling double.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-biggest-mistakes-by-most-human-beings-listening-half/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The biggest mistakes, early on, involved foreign policy and involved the strategy for health care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-blumenthal/the-biggest-mistakes-early-on-involved-foreign-policy-and-involved/) [Sidney Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-blumenthal/) > [One of the biggest mistakes humans make is to believe there is only one way. There are many diverse paths leading to what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-humans-make-is-to-believe-there-is-only/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Some of the biggest mistakes in my life were the mistakes I refused to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-of-the-biggest-mistakes-in-my-life-were-the-mistakes-i-refused/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The biggest mistakes I made in my career were when I said, 'If I do this movie, I'll be able to do a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/the-biggest-mistakes-i-made-in-my-career-were-when-i-said-if-i-do/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [I've learned that one of the biggest mistakes in life is holding onto something that was lost a long time ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/i-ve-learned-that-one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-in-life-is-holding-onto/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“One of the biggest mistakes new homeschooling parents make is going into it with an 'all or nothing' mentality. That's a lot of pressure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-wilson/one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-new-homeschooling-parents-make-is-going/) [Jacqueline Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-wilson/) > [Our biggest mistakes, were things we didn't do, companies we didn't buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/our-biggest-mistakes-were-things-we-didn-t-do-companies-we-didn-t-buy/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [That was my decision, so I have to be responsible for that. It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/that-was-my-decision-so-i-have-to-be-responsible-for-that-it-was-one/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) ## More by Julia Hartz > [When we set out to build Eventbrite, we had to face many challenges and come up with creative solutions to get past them. Each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/when-we-set-out-to-build-eventbrite-we-had-to-face-many-challenges/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [Great leadership and great companies aren't built overnight, and they're not built without capital. And capital can sometimes be counter-productive to building a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/great-leadership-and-great-companies-aren-t-built-overnight-and-they/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [My worst day is away from the office, when I'm traveling and not with the Britelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/my-worst-day-is-away-from-the-office-when-i-m-traveling-and-not-with/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [I think entrepreneurship is combining a passion with the tenacity to problem-solve and the fearlessness to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/i-think-entrepreneurship-is-combining-a-passion-with-the-tenacity-to/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [Eventbrite is 50-50 male-female, and this has been accomplished organically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/eventbrite-is-50-50-male-female-and-this-has-been-accomplished/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [The gender parity is something that has been organic to Eventbrite since we started building a team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/the-gender-parity-is-something-that-has-been-organic-to-eventbrite/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [Our team finds motivation in knowing that we're transforming the ticketing industry, this notion that we're bringing democratization to an industry and disrupting it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/our-team-finds-motivation-in-knowing-that-we-re-transforming-the/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [Getting to profitability does not mean all our problems are solved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/getting-to-profitability-does-not-mean-all-our-problems-are-solved/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [Millennials are the experiences generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/millennials-are-the-experiences-generation/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [I graduated from college and went straight into a job with MTV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/i-graduated-from-college-and-went-straight-into-a-job-with-mtv/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [Ticketing is a people-intensive business to get it right on a global scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/ticketing-is-a-people-intensive-business-to-get-it-right-on-a-global/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [I started my career in Hollywood, where I learned the rumors were true - having success there really was dictated by how who you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/i-started-my-career-in-hollywood-where-i-learned-the-rumors-were-true/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [In television, things move quite slowly. It can take years to get a show off the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/in-television-things-move-quite-slowly-it-can-take-years-to-get-a/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [I didn't play any extreme sports growing up. I never surfed, and I grew up in Santa Cruz. I was very good at doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/i-didn-t-play-any-extreme-sports-growing-up-i-never-surfed-and-i-grew/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [As far as funding and building a team, you being romantically involved with your cofounder really shouldn't play a factor in how you run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/as-far-as-funding-and-building-a-team-you-being-romantically-involved/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) [Explore all 100 Julia Hartz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) ## More Biggest mistake quotes > [The biggest mistake girls make is thinking the guy who hurt them once wont do it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-biggest-mistake-girls-make-is-thinking-the-guy-who-hurt-them-once/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The biggest mistake I see with people who are new to CrossFit is trying to advance too quickly. Just because you can do a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-fraser/the-biggest-mistake-i-see-with-people-who-are-new-to-crossfit-is/) [Mat Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-fraser/) > [If you leave the one you love angry,without saying I Love You, or Goodbye, It could be the most biggest mistake of your life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-stewart/if-you-leave-the-one-you-love-angry-without-saying-i-love-you-or/) [Joy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-stewart/) > [My biggest mistake is love you and take you for granted. I'll regret it forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-biggest-mistake-is-love-you-and-take-you-for-granted-i-ll-regret/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The biggest mistake people make when trying to be authentic is just that: they try. They see these role models of what an "authentic"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/the-biggest-mistake-people-make-when-trying-to-be-authentic-is-just/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [I had a couple of agents, but then I went on my own. I thought I could negotiate my own deals and it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-grobbelaar/i-had-a-couple-of-agents-but-then-i-went-on-my-own-i-thought-i-could/) [Bruce Grobbelaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-grobbelaar/) > [The biggest mistake I've seen people make with their careers is, when they're good, after two or three years - and they happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-schwarzman/the-biggest-mistake-i-ve-seen-people-make-with-their-careers-is-when/) [Stephen A. Schwarzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-schwarzman/) > [The press keep asking me, 'What was your biggest mistake?' But if I had made a big mistake, they'd all be writing about it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-livingstone/the-press-keep-asking-me-what-was-your-biggest-mistake-but-if-i-had/) [Ken Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-livingstone/) > [The galleries are full of critics. They play no ball, they fight no fights. They make no mistakes because they attempt nothing. Down in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-shoup/the-galleries-are-full-of-critics-they-play-no-ball-they-fight-no/) [David M. Shoup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-shoup/) > [“I’m sorry, babe. I’m sorry I hurt you. I was stupid. I fucked up. I thought I was doing you a favor by keeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-abel/i-m-sorry-babe-i-m-sorry-i-hurt-you-i-was-stupid-i-fucked-up-i/) [E.M. Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-abel/) > [“The biggest mistake we commit in life is to think that others will get affected by our action and we shall leave some effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/the-biggest-mistake-we-commit-in-life-is-to-think-that-others-will/) [Himmilicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himmilicious/) > [“At the beginning of the semester, when you asked who I loved the most, an image of my mother popped in my head. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-brianne/at-the-beginning-of-the-semester-when-you-asked-who-i-loved-the-most/) [Sarah Brianne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-brianne/) > [“Truly Falling In Love With you is not one of the greatest mistake of my Life but Trusting you madly is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kashi-khan/truly-falling-in-love-with-you-is-not-one-of-the-greatest-mistake-of/) [Kashi khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kashi-khan/) > [I thought doing reality TV would be the greatest success of my life or the biggest mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethenny-frankel/i-thought-doing-reality-tv-would-be-the-greatest-success-of-my-life/) [Bethenny Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethenny-frankel/) > [Is that your ex? No, that's the biggest mistake of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-martin/is-that-your-ex-no-that-s-the-biggest-mistake-of-my-life/) [Brandon Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-martin/) [Browse all 337 Biggest mistake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biggest-mistake/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the biggest mistakes that founders can make is doing something that maybe seems like a great idea, and seems like a good use of time, but actually isn't measurable, significant, incremental growth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Julia Hartz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-that-founders-can-make-is-doing-something/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biggest mistake" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-that-founders-can-make-is-doing-something/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/julia-hartz-5600_biggest-mistake_one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-that-founder_3164062.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/julia-hartz-5600_biggest-mistake_one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-that-founder_3164062.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/julia-hartz-5600_biggest-mistake_one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-that-founder_3164062.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One of the biggest mistakes that founders can make is doing something that maybe seems like a great idea…” — Julia Hartz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Julia Hartz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One of the biggest mistakes that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-that-founders-can-make-is-doing-something/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-that-founders-can-make-is-doing-something/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```