Founders: Anti-goals and what I stopped optimizing For
As I build, I am optimizing less for growth and more for signal.
That is not something I expected to say.
For a long time, growth felt like the goal. More users, more reach, more activity. It looks like progress. It feels like things are working.
But I have started to notice something.
Not all growth is useful.
Some growth is just noise.
You can have more users and still not understand who your product is for. You can have more feedback and still not know what actually matters. You can be shipping fast and still feel like you are guessing.
On the outside, everything looks fine. Inside, it feels unclear.
So I started asking a different question.
Not “what do I need more of?”But “what do I need less of?”
Less random users.Less scattered feedback.Less unnecessary features.Less trying to appeal to everyone.
And instead, I started paying attention to smaller things.
Who understands the product without too much explanation.Who comes back without being pushed.Where people get confused.What keeps repeating itself.
Those are signals.
They are quiet, but they are honest. They tell you what is really happening, not just what looks good on a dashboard.
Growth without signal is expensive. It gives you more to manage, more to fix, and more to figure out later. And the bigger it gets, the harder it becomes to correct.
Signal feels slower, but it gives you direction. It removes guesswork. It helps you make better decisions early.
So now, I am more comfortable moving slower if it means I understand what is working.
I am less interested in looking like things are growing, and more interested in knowing why they are.
Because once you understand that, growth becomes easier.
Not forced. Just clearer.
Right now, I am choosing signal over speed.
Until next time
Your DMD
