Rule #2 In Business

So… I’m attempting to do this startup thing and I only have 1 core principle laid out so far for the culture of my business, which is “Everyone’s Important”. So it’s time for me to add to that.

The second core principle is: “Simplify Everything”

I have a tendency to overcomplicate everything. I’m not the best at keeping it simple, even though I try my hardest. However, I know that simplicity is the key to success.

More specifically, being able to simplify complex problems by breaking them down into smaller, easier-to-handle problems is how problems get solved. We, as humans, seem to always want to show off our intelligence by making everything as complex as possible.

Complexity just makes everything confusing and impossible, especially when you add in the fact that proper communication is more difficult than it appears to be. People think they are great at communicating because they can technically do it… but in reality… we suck at it.

We will explain something to someone, then pretend they understood it… just because we understood our own thoughts. Most of the time the person receiving the information just goes along with it and thinks “Eh, I think I got the concept so I’ll figure it out”.

This tendency towards overcomplication manifests itself in everything we do… We are always adding in more features… more ideas… more data… more meetings… more analogies to try to explain everything… and all of it compounds the original problem.

We’ve all heard the saying “Less is more”, and it’s true. We overdo it with the complexity and I’m just a simple man so I want things to be as simple, smooth, and as easy as possible.

Look at this image and try to figure out how it actually helps anyone… Hint: it probably doesn’t.

Sometimes it feels intimidating to have things be simple… we see all kinds of fancy things being built with flashy new features… and imposter syndrome kicks in. But look at Google. They built one of the biggest businesses in the world based on pretty much a search bar.

Yes, they’ve added in more complicated services over the years… but their dedication to ease of use and simplicity has served them VERY well over the years.

I will inevitably overcomplicate everything I touch, BUT… that’s okay… Complicated messes can always be simplified if you strive to simplify everything. Business is a constant work in progress anyway, and you have to start somewhere.