What I Learned Building Taco Empleos

What I Learned Building Taco Empleos

When I left my last job, I wasted two months. Instead of building, I was stuck in my head, just thinking about ideas. I read, researched, and tried to analyze which idea I should pursue. Looking back, I see that was a huge mistake. If I could go back in time, I’d tell myself one thing: don’t do that.

Build First, Think Later

The real learning starts once you build something. Even if it’s small or not successful, the act of building will quickly reveal adjacent ideas worth exploring. Opportunities emerge only when you’re in motion. Sitting around thinking doesn’t create them.

Growth Matters More Than Product

It’s tempting to believe, “If I build it, people will come.” That’s a lie. If your startup fails, it will almost always be because no customers showed up, not because your product wasn’t perfect. Growth deserves as much—if not more—attention than product building.

Talk to Customers, Even When It’s Uncomfortable

Founders procrastinate on customer conversations. I did too. You tell yourself:

• “It’s too early.”
• “I’ll show them once I have a beta.”
• “The pain point is obvious, no need to validate.”

All excuses. The truth is you need to force yourself to talk to potential customers. Nothing replaces hearing their words directly.

Where to Find Good Startup Ideas

If you’re in that early stage, here are two things I learned:

1. Borrow from other geographies. Look for ideas that already work somewhere else but don’t exist in your region.
2. Compete locally against giants. When massive marketplace companies expand into multiple markets, they leave gaps. In a smaller market, a solo founder or small team can actually outmaneuver them by moving faster and doing things a big bureaucratic company can’t.

Final Thoughts

The biggest trap I fell into was believing I could think my way into the perfect idea. That’s not how it works. You learn by building, by putting something out into the world, and by talking to the people you want to serve. TACO Empleos taught me that execution and customer conversations are what move the needle—not endless brainstorming.