When people say that the devil is in the details, they mean that small things in plans and actions that are often overlooked can cause serious problems later on and the slang term for this has a number of different senses. All of the meanings for the term boil down to the simple fact that it is often the small details of something challenging that can make or break a venture. The idiom “the devil is in the details” derives from the earlier phrase, “God is in the details;” expressing the idea that whatever one does should be done thoroughly; i.e. details are important.

So when we talk about the devil being in the details in startups and entrepreneurship is the fact that if you don’t pay attention to those dreadful details, the devil will consume your business… not really literally. What it means, is that those details that you overlooked accidently or sometimes purposely will come back to find you and in most cases, that really hurts especially if you have invested a lot of time, energy and money to launch your Startup.

Looking out and paying attention for the small details in business and life is generally a good practice, since it greatly reduces the risk of surprise. While some surprises are pleasant, those “planned by the devil” are generally not, so it pays to avoid pitfalls which can be preventable. This behavior is also often rewarded in general, as you will gain the reputation for being considerate and thoughtful as well as someone difficult to fool.

“Seeing the forest through the trees” is another phrase worth noting. Most of us start with the details and work towards the bigger picture. Doing the opposite and starting with the forest, and not bothering with the trees until finally understanding the whole concept is a practice followed by more experienced and successful founders which failure runs in their bloodstream. Fact is, we cannot escape failure, it’s going to happen no matter how much careful we become and the more we experience it, the more chances we have in succeeding. Be careful, but also discerning in knowing when to pay attention to details, and when it is fine to take risk.

Often, it could well be that the devil is in the pursuit of the details. My venture last year, was torn apart by desperately trying to find out how and who was responsible for something that happened when all that was needed was to simply help fix the problem. From this I have learned that it is more important to focus on the what that needs to be rectified. Spending too much time and effort on looking for the devil, perhaps that might just create him.

So, where do you think the devil is located?