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If you work in startups, what's one tip you give to grow as a startup operator?
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One of the lessons I got from Paul Graham is "Do NOT trust your instinct. Startups are so weird that if you trust your instincts, you'll make a lot of mistakes."
Also, pay much more attention in understanding your users well than in being a startup expert.
There is nothing more powerful than building and nuturing a community, don't wait to start this as it takes time but it could be the difference between being number one and number two in a category.
@matthew_browne1 Thanks for sharing. Agreed, building a community takes a lot of time and is probably one of the most time consuming things to do. It's definitely worth it...
@matthew_browne1 I second you. I have build the biggest group of Digital Nomads 145000 members. Took me 5 years.
Stay a generalist, and be deeply involved in all parts of the company. The key is to be like your founders, but even more focused on execution.
Also, don't hesitate to question everything (yourself, the company, the founders, the users) and do not ever leave any detail unanswered.
Always remember that flexibility is key, and don't hesitate to pivot when necessary.
For me is not getting too attached to my own ideas. I'm working on the first version of the product and a lot of ideas get scraped. I don't care what ideas of mine go to the trash bin, I trust my mentors and the only thing I care about is a successful launch. If advice helps me get closer to it, I do whatever is needed.
You must define your goal clearly. Your goal should be not your product or services. Your goal should be -making money. Remember one thing you promise to your investors is - money.
So what ever comes across your goal you have to separate ways with it.
If your marketing plan doesnt work - abandon it.
If your sales strategy doesnt work - kiss it goodbye.
If your salesmen dont deliver - cut them.
If you tried all strategies but product fails - kick it to the curb and pivot.
If your engineers cant or dont want to pivot -cut them.
If you have pivoted many times but you still fail - save your investors money. Let them cut you. Be ruthless like Chyngis Khan. Let them have another general for their money. Dont waste their money and time. People trust you part of their lives through money you taken.
Focus, Focus, Focus on one product, one market, one channel, one customer at least the first year. Rest will be history.
Try to build your brand, understand your market, develop your product, manage your team mamebers, and focus on your work.
Cut the noise (fears from the past, anxiety about future). Focus on the next step you need to take and give it your all.
"Work fast and break things" words to live by! messy action is better than no action!
Adapt QUICKLY. You are finding your feet. You have few tried and tested processes. You have endless amount of decisions to make. You will make less than optimal decisions. So pay attention and adapt quickly.
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