How to Avoid Common New Founder Traps in Business?
Hey Leader,
On September 5th, I had the chance to speak at Growth Together (Kasvua Yhdessä) inside Helsinki City Hall, in front of more than 300 entrepreneurs.
In my keynote, I told my story of leaving a solid corporate career, starting again from zero, and building my own business around the 8 Steps to Growth Entrepreneurship framework.
The day was hosted by Anna Perho, with the main keynote by Saku Tuominen, who shared powerful insights on change and leadership.
After many interesting discussions, I realised again that no matter the background, new founders run into the same traps.
Today, I want to help you avoid them.
New Founder Panel Discussion at Helsinki City Hall 5.9.2025 (Photo: Jakob Johannsen)
The 3 Founder Traps
The Identity Trap
Your status is tied to your title, your job, and the story of your past success. People know you for what you have already done, and you define yourself the same way. This makes it hard to imagine anything new or more exciting. The identity that once gave you credibility quietly becomes the trap that holds you back.
The Burnout Trap
Pouring every ounce of energy into the business without recovery. The drive that fuels your ambition ends up eroding your clarity and capacity. Many ambitious founders hit this wall before they even see it coming.
The Freelancer Trap
Trading time for money. The calendar is full, invoices are paid, but growth stalls because delivery always depends on you. It feels like progress, but it is really just another cage.
Mindset Shift
In my keynote, I reminded the audience:
“In the expert’s mind, there are few possibilities. In the beginner’s mind, there are many.”
Corporate careers reward the expert mind, precise, efficient, safe. But that same mindset limits you when building something new.
Entrepreneurship demands the beginner’s mind, curiosity, openness, and the courage to explore unproven paths.
Most businesses do start by selling a skill or time. That is normal and natural. It is how you get your first customers, your first invoices, and your first momentum.
But the risk is staying stuck there, repeating what once worked, holding on to past success, and never moving beyond the trap of trading time for money.
“To break free from a trap, you need to prime your mind for something different. Paint a new picture. Dream a new dream. Tell a better story. Then take small determined actions for a long period of time, or make one big massive decision.”
Why Now Is the Best Time to Start
Despite these traps, there has never been a more exciting moment to become an entrepreneur.
AI: Small teams can now build at scale in weeks, while big companies struggle to even understand what is happening.
Social Media: Problems and solutions meet instantly. People can scroll, feel the pain, and purchase the answer in seconds.
Deglobalisation: Local and domestic production is gaining strength, opening new doors for entrepreneurs who build close to their customers.
Companies like Lovable, Cursor, and Replit are giving solo founders the power to prototype software, content, and creative products in days instead of years.
The barriers to entry are collapsing. What once required a corporate team and a multimillion budget can now be done by a single entrepreneur with curiosity and courage.
And let’s not forget visibility is a major challenge for every small business. Without being seen, no one can buy from you, support you, or join you. It’s crucial to start building your audience and content machine early.
Mika Pyhämäki Keynote 5.9.2025 in Helsinki (Photo: Jakob Johannsen)
Design Your Scalable Product
If you have a corporate background, you may have spent years selling or delivering products created by others. Designing your own is a new skill, but your ability to understand customers and communicate value gives you a strong foundation.
A scalable product is built to solve a specific problem and deliver repeatable value without being tied to your hours.
Start small. Your MVP does not need to be perfect. Solve one problem clearly, prove people will pay for it, and let those first customers become your references.
Early traction builds confidence and credibility, while systems and automation make the product repeatable.
Product creation can feel intimidating, but it is also where your investment becomes leverage. Your story, experience, and perspective are assets that help you stand out.
Recurring revenue is the result of recurring impact. Think about technology or a supportive community of other entrepreneurs.
That is why I wrote my first eBook this summer (designing your scalable product is the Step 4 on the way to your first 1M€ after corporate career).
Setting Clear Milestones
One practical way to bring clarity is to set measurable revenue goals.
Start by asking: what do I need to sell, at what price, and in what volumes to hit the next milestone?
To reach €100K, you might sell 10 units of a €10,000 service package or 100 products at €1,000 each.
To reach €300K, you need to either increase volumes 3X, introduce a higher-priced tier, or both.
To reach €1M ARR, you must think in systems: multiple products, recurring business model, and repeatable acquisition channels.
Once you have the math, create a simple plan to fill the gaps. The exercise turns vague ambition into a concrete path.
Looking Ahead: Product-Market Fit
Designing your scalable product is only the beginning.
The next challenge is validating Product-Market Fit and, even more importantly, Product-Market-Founder Fit.
Because it is not just about having a product the market wants. It is about building something that feels right and is built on your strengths.
That is where real growth momentum begins.
It will be the topic of next Focus Forward.
Mika Pyhämäki Keynote 5.9.2025 in Helsinki (Photo: Jakob Johannsen)
Conclusion
As I looked out at the founder faces in City Hall, it was clear: some were stuck in their past, others burning out, many trading all hours for money.
However, I also met founders with clarity and growth spark in their eyes.
I have often said that business growth is often the result of the leader’s personal development. You should not skip the inner work.
Try to recognise the trap you are in, or the one you are heading towards, and find courage to choose a different path.
Every system you build, every product you launch, every revenue milestone you hit, it all requires you to grow first.
Big thanks to Business Helsinki for having me on stage on 5.9.2025.
I look forward to bringing my energy and story to your event too. Reach out if you’d like me to share it with your audience.
To your freedom,
Mika Pyhämäki
CEO & Tech Business Coach
