Founding 9rabra: What I Got Wrong in the First 90 Days

I founded 9rabra while still a full-time student, which meant every decision had to fit into hours most people spend commuting or relaxing. Here's what I got wrong early — and what I'd tell someone starting today.

Mistake #1: Building Before Validating

Like most engineers turned founders, my first instinct was to start building. I had the technical ability, so I used it — before I'd properly confirmed anyone wanted what I was building.

What I'd do differently: talk to 10 potential users before writing a single line of production code. Not to ask "would you use this?" (everyone says yes), but to understand their actual current workaround.

Mistake #2: Over-Engineering the First Version

Coming from an engineering background, I wanted the first version to be correct — proper architecture, edge cases handled, clean abstractions. That instinct is right for a graduation project and wrong for a first product.

Engineering mindset: build it right the first time
Founder mindset: build it fast enough to learn the right thing to build

The fix was mechanical: I gave myself a hard two-week budget for v1, no exceptions, and cut scope until it fit.

Mistake #3: Treating Feedback as a Verdict Instead of Data

Early user feedback stung more than I expected — not because it was harsh, but because I'd conflated "the product" with "my competence." Once I started treating feedback as data rather than judgment, iteration got dramatically faster.

What Actually Worked

• Shipping in public. Sharing progress, even messy progress, created accountability and attracted early users I wouldn't have found otherwise.
• Timeboxing founder work around student life. A fixed 90-minute block every evening beat sporadic all-nighters — consistency compounds.
• Using AI aggressively for leverage. From drafting copy to scaffolding code, AI tools let me operate closer to the output of a small team.

Where 9rabra Is Headed

The next milestone is less about features and more about depth — going deeper with the users we already have before expanding scope. If you're building something similar, my one-line advice: your unfair advantage as a student founder isn't time, it's that you have nothing to lose by moving fast.