Technical and Product Mistakes

Mistake #16: Over-Engineering for the French Market

The Mistake: Building overly complex solutions when French customers often prefer elegant simplicity.

Why It Happens: - Engineering pride - Feature creep - Competitor matching - Customer requests - Perfectionism

Real Example: A CRM startup built 200+ features to match Salesforce. French SMBs found it overwhelming. Competitor with 20 core features won the market.

How to Avoid: - Start simple - Listen to customers - Iterate based on usage - Resist feature creep - Focus on core value

Mistake #17: Neglecting GDPR and Data Privacy

The Mistake: Treating GDPR as afterthought rather than competitive advantage.

Consequences: - Regulatory fines - Customer trust loss - Enterprise deal breakers - Competitive disadvantage - Technical debt

How to Avoid: - Privacy by design - Regular audits - Clear documentation - User rights implementation - Competitive advantage

GDPR Compliance Checklist: - [ ] Privacy policy updated - [ ] Data processing agreements - [ ] User consent mechanisms - [ ] Data deletion processes - [ ] Breach notification procedures - [ ] Regular training