A Simple Lesson for Founders
Every Victory takes N to 1, and Success is Built from 1 to N
In the past weeks, my co-founder Dmitri Tcherevik and I have been pitching to prospective investors and business partners. I’ve been telling him about my daughter Catherine Lily while she’s been casting in New York City for NYFW. After her ballet career was terminated unexpectedly, she had to pick herself up and found other artistic pursuits, which was hard, to say the least.
Many books have been written in terms of a startup’s path from 0 to 1 and 1 to N, describing the breakthrough at the beginning when you reach the product-market fit and then scale from there for exponential growth. I was recruited time after time to embark on the 1-to-N growth journey.
However, one thing many founders underestimate is the beginning part of that journey. The truth is that to get to the 1, founders may have to battle through N. Here is why and how:
The internet has been a game-changer in the democratization of information. This exponential growth in internet access has bridged information gaps, enabling people to learn, communicate, and engage online in a global network of interconnected computers.
“The web is more a social creation than a technical one. I designed it for a social effect — to help people work together — and not as a technical toy.” — the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee Weaving the Web, 1999.
Then, it’s followed by the mobile boom, which enables information at your fingertips anywhere, anytime. Mobile apps have revolutionized how individuals consume content. With personalized recommendations and user-friendly interfaces, apps like Google, Facebook, and Netflix have tailored information to individual preferences. Together with cloud technology, we are creating and consuming data at an explosive speed.
According to IDC, the global datasphere is projected to reach 175 zettabytes by 2025, with data creation doubling every two years. In this sea of data, standing out and achieving significant milestones have become more challenging.
“The best way to sell something: don’t sell anything. Earn the awareness, respect, and trust of those who might buy.” Author and digital strategist Rand Fishkin
In the age of information overload, businesses and individuals must focus on building meaningful connections and delivering valuable content to capture the attention of their audience. In the context of the digital data explosion, which leads to information overload, it is increasingly challenging for individuals and content creators to stand out. Therefore, the battle to get the one breakthrough is not from zero but from the humongous number of trials to cut through the noise.
“The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that is changing quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” — Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, in an interview with Y Combinator President and OpenAI Co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, 2016
We are at the next frontier of human history with artificial intelligence. AI-powered systems, like search engines, chatbots, and recommendation algorithms, have transformed how we discover and interact with content.
- AI-Powered Recommendations
All social, content, and eCommerce platforms, such as LinkedIn, Spotify, Netflix, and Amazon, leverage AI to provide tailored recommendations to users, driving engagement, conversion, and customer satisfaction.
- Natural Language Processing (NLP)
NLP, a subset of AI, has enabled more efficient and accessible information retrieval. Virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant use NLP to answer questions, perform tasks, and provide information. This technology has made information accessible to people of varying technological literacy levels, leveling the playing field.
“We are moving from a mobile-first to an AI-first world,” says CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai.
This shift emphasizes the growing role of AI in delivering personalized information and how businesses can harness the power of today’s Generative AI to empower their workforce and improve the workflows with automation.
“Artificial intelligence will drastically change the business landscape, and those who don’t adapt will be left behind.” says former CEO of IBM, Ginni Rometty.
AI’s ability to process and interpret data at scale is reshaping industries, including marketing, healthcare, and finance, making it essential for organizations to harness its potential to go from 1 to N for exponential growth.
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