How to build a start-up
I found myself saying this today and I realized it is the shortest way to state the truth.
You must do twice as much.
Twice as good.
With half as much resources.
In half as much time.
No. I’m not kidding. This really does summarize my experience. You can go ahead and read between the lines to flesh out some of the less obvious things that make all of the above possible. For example, how can you do twice as much in half the time if you don’t have an unusual ability to be good at several different crafts that (would otherwise) require twice as many people in a “normal” organization? In a start-up, for example, there is no place for a CEO who is not at least exceptional at most marketing disciplines OR is exceptional at shipping high quality products that people like to use. Preferably, the CEO has an uncanny knack at both of those things. Similarly, there is no place in a start-up for a marketing exec who can’t actually execute on his or her own ideas. If you have to send all copy writing and creative out to a firm, how does that help the start-up do twice as much on half the budget? I’m not a big fan of start-up ceo’s and execs who are only capable of being strategists. Being good at strategy is a necessity. An assumption. Being able to do all the other tactical things well within the confines of massive constraint is basically the key. If you’re one of those few, you just might have a shot. Just remember that gravity will always conspire against you in the process. Gravity doesn’t want start-ups to succeed. That’s why most do not. And that’s the last thought I have on this start-up founder question. If you give up at the same point where “normal” people give up, you’ll wind up being another unhappy statistic.
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