Stop playing startup and start building real shit.
A buddy asked me for some advice recently. He’d been working with some friends on a startup idea, and was really passionate about it — but a little concerned that the other cofounders weren’t “all-in”, and didn’t want to quit his high-paying job until he figured it out. I had recently quit school to pursue TransparentCareer, so he asked my opinions on taking the plunge.
He’s a doer — CS degree, tech consulting background, sharp guy and super down-to-earth. We talked for about a half hour — about the idea, about the team and their behavior, about his personal life and the sacrifices he’d have to make — and I realized:
The other cofounders were all playing startup.
He knew it too, deep down. They weren’t building anything. They were faking it, because, well, it’s fun and sexy to pretend. There’s no risk, because businesses fail all the time. But, damn is it fun to mention in passing conversations. “Yeah, I’m cool with my job — it pays the bills you know? — but I’m working on a startup on the side.”
It’s like little kids playing house, but a fucked-up adult version where people’s time and money get wasted. I know, because I’ve been guilty of it, working on “ideas” instead of products: like matching for professional mentors, data analytics for restaurants, blah blah blah. Luckily I wasted my own money before I learned better, and mostly small amounts of others’ time (sorry guys!).
People playing startup:
Always focus on how great the “idea” is. I did this for so long before I started, you know, actually trying things. (…long pause to mentally kick self…)
Make trite comparisons to other businesses. Like “we’re like Uber, but for prenatal care” or “it’s the Airbnb for dental floss”. Eye roll. I cannot even begin to count how many times I did this. I still do it. It’s convenient for explaining your business in some cases, but don’t start believing it. You’re not the Uber of anything, and you probably shouldn’t be.
Make a lot of moves, but no progress. Play-house startups have a lot of “strategy meetings” before there’s even an inkling of the product. They spend money on PR, high-value domain names, even television ads, burning cash on vanity channels only justifiable for larger businesses. My friend’s cofounders bought a domain name for thousands, but when it came time to occupying that expensive virtual real estate, didn’t have an answer to give him on what content to build, or how to go to market. What the fuck? Do these people like burning cash? I know some organizations that could use that money, if it’s there for the wasting.
People building real shit, on the other hand:
Realize it’s 1% about the idea, 19% about the market, and 80% about execution. The idea keeps you dreaming when the execution gets hard and the market punches you in the mouth. But it won’t determine your success or failure (and it will probably change anyway).
Use growth and product frameworks relevant to their market — not some other successful company’s model. Most of us borrow bits and pieces from other businesses, and I think that’s probably smart. Just don’t fall into the trap of Spygating their entire playbook. Chances are it won’t work for you exactly like it did for the big guys.
Make un-sexy moves that actually matter. One of our advisors gave us the best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten, in both my personal and business life (yes they are separate — despite being a founder I do sleep, and enjoy my life). He said, and I paraphrase: If you can just improve 2% every day on some aspect what you’re doing, that’s more than enough to be successful. The gains are exponential — in a month you’ve got an 80% improvement.
How powerful it is to think like this, but more importantly how freeing — the crushing pressure of #killingiteverydamnday that so many of us founders feel simply floats away. What a drug. I highly recommend it.
So I guess I’ve learned that it’s not about rocketship growth or huge product launches or sexy PR campaigns. It’s not about being the Uber or Warby Parker of pick-an-industry. It’s definitely not about the idea, because, as my colleague Neel points out, ideas are a dime a dozen.
It’s about believing in your dream so much that you’re willing to crawl through a river of shit to get there, like Andy in Shawshank. Most people can’t strategize or buy the shit away, at least at the beginning — you’ve still got to crawl. And crawling means building real stuff, testing it, hustling it, and selling it. So stop playing startup, and start crawling.
