New entrepreneurs are steeped in certain concepts.
They’re told to hunt for a niche. They’re told to think about scale. And they’re told to think about starting lean.
A lot of the general language we use now for any startup is rooted in technology startup culture.
Take the lean startup methodology that was made popular by Eric Reis. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, the idea is to figure out if there’s an actual need for your product as quickly as you can. The alternative is to build out an incredible product that nobody actually needs.
That concept has its roots in technology. But now, I’ve heard of everyone from accountants to bakers using the phrase.
I’m not saying whether that’s good or bad. These are just the facts.
“Move fast and break things.”
Another popular entrepreneur mantra is to “Move fast and break things.”
This was embraced by entrepreneurs everywhere after Facebook made it popular. It was their mantra. It was their mantra. It’s not anymore, but I’ll get to that in a second.
First, let’s dive into the idea.
Facebook’s idea was to that it was so important for developers to move quickly, even if it meant launching a product that had a bug or two. It increased the number of real-life lessons learned, uncovered new opportunities, and could even boost morale.
And it was catchy. Perfect for a t-shirt.
But it’s not their mantra anymore.
There are costs to breaking things.
For Facebook, there’s more focus on getting things right the first time. That’s something that increases our experience when we use the platform.
There’s always a place for quality.
Moving fast and breaking things is fun. And it can be effective.
I’ve abided by that philosophy throughout my career as an entrepreneur. Sometimes it’s worked, and other times it hasn’t. I’ll continue to use that philosophy moving forward when the time is right. Sometimes it will work, and other times it won’t.
But there’s just nothing quite like putting out high quality work.
I’ve had to mend many relationships because I’ve broken too many things. There’s a time and a place to move fast and break things.
Keep an eye out for the times when it’s best to move deliberately and make things that work.
And while we’re at it, make them work well.
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Photo: Flickr/Jordanhill School D&T Dept