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As someone who has built 0-1 systems at multiple startups (Seed to Series C), I’ve settled on one principle above all else:

“Simple is robust”

It’s easy to over-design a system up front, and even easier to over-design improvements to said system.

Customer requirements are continually evolving, and you can never really predict what the future requirements will be (even if it feels like you can).

Breaking down the principle, it’s not just that a simple system is less error prone, it’s just as important that a simple architecture is easier to change in the future.

Should you plan for X, Y, and Z?

Yes, but counterintuitively, by keeping doors open for future and building “the simplest thing that could possibly work.”

Complexity adds constraints, these limitations make the stack more brittle over time, even when planned with the best intentions.