Think Like an Entrepreneur
If you're reading this, then you know that the process of thinking outside the box opens worlds of opportunity. It's what makes us want to start a company. To break free from outdated rules and find new ways to do things. To take a big risk, live with the consequences, and then rebuild bigger than ever before. That's how entrepreneurs think!
But it can be hard to get there—to strip away all our assumptions about how we're supposed to do things, or about what "good" looks like for someone like us. The entrepreneurial mindset is difficult because it means great uncertainty and tolerance for ambiguity. It means taking risks and learning from them, too. It is painful to consider that many of the things we know might be wrong, or lead to dead ends.
There are a few simple ways to help you think like an entrepreneur—ways that allow you to look at your goals in a new light and consider thinking creatively about how to reach them. And most importantly, this approach will help you learn from your mistakes and find many small successes rather than one epic win. Here's how:
Get out of normal
As it happens, sometimes the best way to get started is by thinking about work in terms of the opposite. If you're someone who has spent their career in a structured, bureaucratic environment, then maybe the most effective way to try new things is to look at this goal with the opposite in mind.
For example, a normal goal might be: "I want to start an engineering team that can ship two features each month." Instead, let's consider it an entrepreneurial goal by thinking about how to do the opposite of that: how do we NOT build an engineering team?
First, don't build an engineering team. In fact, don't hire any engineers. Or spend any money at all. If you can do this and still launch something impressive, then you've solved the problem (albeit by cheating).
But on the other hand, if building an engineering team is your only choice, then that's just fine.
So while you want to avoid the idea of building a team from the beginning, you might find it useful to start thinking about how to "think like an engineer." Ask yourself these questions:
How do I decide what features I should build? How do I choose my friends? How do I determine what will be most valuable for my users? How do I decide where to open up for feedback? Do I target market correctly? What am I NOT doing that will prevent me from shipping quickly or effectively? What best practices can I learn from successful startups in my space (e.g. Uber)? What are the controversial aspects of my idea? What should I try if I'm already an engineer? Is there something that seems doable but scary?
At this point you may be thinking: "I DON'T want to build an engineering team, but maybe it's getting hard to come up with good ideas for what NOT to build." In fact, here's a list of things not to do:
Don't use the wrong technologies . Don't try to start from behind. Don't solve a problem that no one has. Don't create features just because they're cool or because they're trendy. Don't have five different ways to do the same thing and pick just one. Don't just copy a competitor. Don't build something too complicated because you think it will make you look smart. Don't build something that relies on a secret your competitors don't know yet (this will cost you time and money when they eventually figure it out).
. Don't try to start from behind. Don't solve a problem that no one has. Don't create features just because they're cool or because they're trendy. Don't have five different ways to do the same thing and pick just one. Don't just copy a competitor. Don't build something too complicated because you think it will make you look smart. Don't build something that relies on a secret your competitors don't know yet (this will cost you time and money when they eventually figure it out). Don't hire anyone . Or just one quick hire, or bring on a cofounder, especially one with experience. Avoid spending money on anything that doesn't directly improve your product or business.
. Or just one quick hire, or bring on a cofounder, especially one with experience. Avoid spending money on anything that doesn't directly improve your product or business. Don't work with the wrong partners . Assume the worst of everyone else until they've proven otherwise.
. Assume the worst of everyone else until they've proven otherwise. Don't skip over mistakes . Assume you will make big mistakes and find ways to deal with them.
. Assume you will make big mistakes and find ways to deal with them. Don't ignore the "wrong" things . Make a list of the most obvious things someone might do, and then figure out how to take care of them (e.g., investing in sophisticated tooling, hiring a PR agency, etc.). Good entrepreneurs don't start an engineering team because they know that's what smart people would do—but rather because it is exactly the opposite of what someone trying to build an engineering team would do!
. Make a list of the most obvious things someone might do, and then figure out how to take care of them (e.g., investing in sophisticated tooling, hiring a PR agency, etc.). Good entrepreneurs don't start an engineering team because they know that's what smart people would do—but rather because it is exactly the opposite of what someone trying to build an engineering team would do! Do the opposite . Don't start by following someone else's plan. Instead, think about things that are bad ideas and figure out which ones you can change to become better ideas (e.g., "I'm going to build something no one expects because I think my users will like it more than anything else out there.").
. Don't start by following someone else's plan. Instead, think about things that are bad ideas and figure out which ones you can change to become better ideas (e.g., "I'm going to build something no one expects because I think my users will like it more than anything else out there."). Don't hire anyone. Or just one quick hire, or bring on a cofounder, especially one with experience. Avoid spending money on anything that doesn't directly improve your product or business.
If you've ever started reading a blog post about how to find a co-founder and thought, "Man, I hate these posts! I don't want to do any of those things!" then you might be doing the right thing.
The simple truth is that the fastest way to start a company is to avoid doing everything you think was taught in business school or by successful entrepreneurs. For example:According to the common wisdom, startup founders must start by building a team and then figure out what to build. Following this advice might have worked for a few of the very best companies, but it's also responsible for some of the worst ideas ever created.
A more sensible path involves figuring out what you don't want to do first and working backward from there:
What don't we do? (e.g., what shouldn't we build) How are we not doing those things? (e.g.
Conclusion
A new idea is a horrible thing to have. It sounds good at first, and then it makes you work twice as hard for half as much money. But if you can build an engineering team quickly, there is no limit to what you can create. Starting from scratch allows you to take an objective look at your users, problems and technology choices without getting bogged down with existing practices, old code bases and the limitations of past decisions.
Doing so also means that you are forced to use your own intellect and creativity instead of relying on the fact that someone else wrote the software (which is a great reason to avoid launching with an engineering team).