A lot of founders to whom I talk believe that in the first 100 days after receiving their seed funding they need to blast off as fast as they can, to infinity and beyond!

They want to spend the next stage of their larval life getting as big as possible ready for their stage A chrysalis. They have lots of plans and they want to do them all. After spending months cooped up without budget, only able to make small moves, they want to splash out.

It’s understandable. After all, isn’t it what we’re told? The start-ups which survive are the ones who “went big or went home”? The guys who make it are the ones who are aggressive and hungry and move fast and break things?

I caution the start-ups I advise and remind them to value learning over speed until they’re sure what they’re doing works. You need to try things out, test them and learn from them. The first larval stages are about working out what it is you do and what you don’t do; what combination of food feeds you and helps you grow best and what is poisonous; who you need on your team and who is going to distract you.

Focusing on learning doesn’t mean going slow. The clock is still ticking. You might run out of money before you work out the answers. Your competitors might find out the answers before you do. Hard work is vital and thinking smart is even more important. You need to learn as quickly as you can.