Why you should think like a start up
For so many of us, we spend our days in the hamster wheel working to pay bills. Or looking for work to pay bills. And then save for retirement and everything else life throws our way. We want our lives to matter. And it can be hard to see how when most of our waking hours are spent in meetings and managing email.
Beneath our quest to survive is to be happy, fulfilled and secure. Decoding how to do that on your terms is what Own The Cow is all about.
This week, I want to cover three areas: The Start up mindset, the pursuit of excellence and ignoring your competition.
Why you should think like a start up
Starting a business is risky. Most fail. You know that already. Yet so many people think they are different. That they've cracked the code and have the secret to the next big thing. It's important to think so given the fortitude required to push through against all odds. You have to believe in yourself and your idea. But what's that got to do with you as an individual thinking about your work and work portfolio?
1. Start ups have to improvise their way to success just as each of us needs to improvise in our careers.
They don't have proven systems and established processes you can follow. They don't have a roadmap. They're writing it as they go. You need to do the same thing. Don't confuse the lack of systems with my suggestion that you adopt a systems mindset. Good start ups have a discipline to execute as they improvise. Think about the shiny app you love that asks you to update it every week. That's iteration and continuous improvement. Improvisation requires flexibility. It requires seeing alternative ways to approach the same problem. You need to do that in your work too.
2. The best start ups live in the future.
They've identified a gap that they believe they can fill better than anyone else. Maybe only a few people desire their thing now, but they see where things are going and believe that many people will want this thing in the future. They don't just solve for the present. As you think about your core capabilities, you may be excellent at meeting the present need. But what about in the future? How are you adapting and growing to stay relevant in the next decade?
Something that got my attention this past month was the beta text generator GPT-3 from OpenAI. While still not perfect, the potential for a computer to take over writing seems scary. I'd talked earlier about how you can always make a living from writing. While that is still true today, what about 9 years from now? Will you be able to tell the difference between human and artificial writing? That's one example of how we need to be looking ahead and not assume what's true today will be true tomorrow.
3. Smart start ups are lean.
Even if they've been funded well, they are scrappy problem solvers. They know how to play the long game. For you, this is about using only the tools you need. The tools that feel good to you and help you do your work or your art. Back in the film photography days I remember being in one of the most stunning places on the Oregon Coast at a workshop. One student had all the latest photography gear. He had the best lenses and newest camera bodies. While most of us were working with our simple cameras and a couple of lenses capturing the light, he spent the time pondering his equipment and missed the shot. It was more of a liability than asset. The lesson is to use what you need and nothing more. And most of us need less than we think.
Mediocrity is expensive
I bet few of us consider ourselves mediocre. Maybe 'meh' from time to time. But we generally think we're pretty darn good at what we do. And so does everyone else. The bar for mediocrity has risen year over year. Quality is (mostly) ubiquitous and assumed in the products we use. If you are just mediocre you just blend in. If a job seeker, being mediocre means just being a number. You look like everyone else. If you're a mediocre business, it means you can be easily replaced.
If you are running ads on Facebook, a mediocre conversion rate is expensive. You either want to convert well or fail spectacularly so you know you need to change. Being mediocre keeps you spending too much money.
Seth Godin is known for talking about being remarkable because that makes you indispensable. And it's true.
If you are a mediocre job candidate, you won't stand out in the stiff competition for jobs. And your resume will do little to elevate you. It takes something more. It takes a passion for excellence.
Excellence doesn't mean perfection. It means you are always striving to be better than you were yesterday.
I learned that Costco's Kirkland Signature brand has a relentless focus on quality. In fact, many if not most of their products are made by the same people that make the name-brand favorites. Except Kirkland's have to be better and cost less. That's a mandate from Costco. How much better? Just 1% defined by some metric identified for each product. 1% may not sound like a lot but it instills an ethos of excellence. They won't tolerate mediocrity. Nor should you.
Mediocrity leads to replaceability. Commoditization. Increase your advantage through excellence.
Your Competition is irrelevant.
Or is it? Most of us, and most businesses, are fixated on their competition. On gaining a competitive advantage. It's smart to know what your competition is up to and how you stack up. To an extent. Always following means you are never leading. At the same time, competition isn't always what you think it is. For products, the real competition may be apathy. Or time. For you, your competition is actually yourself. I got this perspective from Adam Grant who's book Originals is all about how to break out of the status quo and see the world differently. What he means is that everyday you are competing with who you were yesterday. You win by competing against yourself.
It doesn't serve us to compare ourselves with others either. No matter how cool their life might seem. Who's life do you want to live? Theirs or yours? You can't know what that life is from their Instagram feed. No matter your status or title there is always someone better than you in some way. Such comparisons just make you feel bad about yourself. And don't take you towards your life goals.
We're hard wired to seek approval of others to confirm who we are and what we're doing. Yet going with what the herd expects rarely helps you. It hard to stand out in the sea of others. In 2009 I picked up "Ignore Everybody" by Hugh Macleod. For those who don't know Hugh, he built a career and life by drawing cartoons on the back of business cards. Thousands and thousands of cartoons. People thought he was crazy. On the surface, you might wonder how you can earn a living doing this. Go to his site Gapingvoid.com and see what he's built from this humble pursuit. I liked the title then, but like most of us, I struggled with ignoring everyone. I sought validation. I wanted to fit in and achieve success through moving up the ranks. It's natural. I also learned in the process that I'm not happy doing only that. I want to do more. I want to be more.
Ignoring everyone means you choose how you live your life. You actually live life on your terms over what someone else expects. Those closest to you likely have a picture in their head for who you are. And if you radically change, they may not like it and unconsciously try to steer you back on the track they see you on. Only you know what's right for you and your work.
It probably goes without saying that this isn't a license to be a turd. It's a license to do meaningful work that people will pay for. Even if it's currently just a seed you're planting to harvest later.
"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." - Milton Berle
I'll end with a quick way to kickstart your day I learned from Neil Pasricha:
When you wake up in the morning take two minutes and answer the following statements:
- I will let go of . . .
- I am grateful for . . .
- I will focus on (the one thing you will do today) . . .