Entrepreneurs

Build, Then Optimize

October 24, 2023 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Build, Then Optimize Startups often emphasize the importance of optimization, which can lead to significant gains, but only if your business is already functioning well.

Focusing on anything other than garnering interest for your product or service is pointless if no one is genuinely interested. Premature optimization wastes time and resources.

Idea for Impact: Get the basics right, then optimize. Prioritize getting the basics right before becoming fixated on optimization. In fact, avoid targeting incremental improvements when a step change is what you really need.

Why Good Founding Stories Sell: Stories That Appeal, Stories That Relate

October 16, 2023 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

It’s the most famous “founding” story ever told. Isaac Newton often told it himself. William Stukeley first published it. Voltaire popularized it.

In 1666, Newton was strolling in a garden in Lincolnshire when he saw an apple drop from a tree. The fruit fell straight to the earth as if tugged by an invisible force. (Subsequent versions of this story had the apple striking Newton on the head.)

That mundane observation seemingly led Newton to conceive the notion of universal gravitation, which explained everything from the falling apple to the moon’s orbit. Whether it was true or not, the apple episode probably motivated Newton. But, indeed, he did not arrive at his theory of gravity at that single moment, as is commonly believed.

Most Origin Stories Make a Good Yarn

Fast-forward three and a half centuries, from England to California. Today, the “Eureka Moment” narrative is a Silicon Valley staple.

Most founding stories would rather you believe that brilliant entrepreneurs came about the outstanding idea for their startups in an almost Moses-like manner. In reality, though, that’s not the real story of how some of our iconic companies began.

When eBay launched, it gained loads of fanfare by proclaiming that Pierre Omidyar and his fiancée built the “Auction Web” to buy and collect Pez candy dispensers on the nascent internet. According to Adam Cohen’s The Perfect Store: Inside eBay (2002,) eBay’s public relations manager Mary Lou Song fabricated that founding story in 1997 to interest the media.

Netflix supposedly stemmed when co-founder Reed Hastings racked up a $40 fine with a Blockbuster store for his overdue copy of the movie Apolo 13. Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph’s That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea (2019) debunks that origin myth. Although Hastings’s $40 fine inspired the process, it wasn’t the single “spark of imagination” that cooked up Netflix.

YouTube supposedly began when founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen could not share videos of a 2005 dinner party in Chen’s San Francisco apartment. Everybody accepted the story until it was refuted by the third co-founder, Jawed Karim (who had been sidelined by Hurley and Chen.) Karim produced a prototype of YouTube inspired by HOTorNOT, a dating site that nudged users to upload photos and others to rate the looks of potential companions. Karim was particularly inspired by the concept of user-generated content versus website owners supplying the content. He set out to make a version of HOTorNOT with video. Chen later admitted that he embellished the dinner party story, which was “probably very strengthened by marketing ideas around creating a story that was very digestible.”

Facebook, first called FaceMash, was also inspired by HOTorNOT. Mark Zuckerberg and his dorm buddies created a website to post pairs of pictures from Harvard’s student community, asking users to rate the “hotter” individual.

Many Good Founding Stories are Just That—They’re Good Stories.

No company is ever founded in a single moment. Ideas evolve after assimilation and experimentation over several months, even years. It’s less interesting to say that things just develop, one idea building upon another. You won’t get as much publicity for rendering a normal-but-boring founding story.

If these mythic creation stories prove anything, it’s that people prefer a good story. People like a storyteller who’s more articulate than one who is accurate. Good stories move. Good stories lead audiences on a journey of the imagination.

Telling a Good Story is a Rehearsed Performance

Human beings are not transformed as much by statistics and facts as we are by stories. In All Marketers are Liars—The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-trust World (2005,) marketing guru Seth Godin says successful marketers don’t discuss features or benefits. They tell stories. Stories that readers want to read. And believe.

If humans were rational, we’d make judgments based on facts and statistics. But we’re not rational; we’re more convinced to act on stories, especially with emotional content. So the ability to tell a story well is a beneficial tool to add to your toolkit.

Idea for Impact: Those who can create and tell entertaining and exciting stories will have a marked advantage over others regarding persuasion. Learn to tell clear, commanding stories that make a good metaphor. Stories that appeal to emotion. Stories that relate. Stories that hold people’s attention. Stories that travel fast.

There’s Always Competition

July 6, 2023 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

There’s always competition, even if you’re introducing an industry-first solution. Let the following case studies serve as a cautionary tale.

Consider launching a new upmarket coffee shop in a bustling location. You might assume that establishing it in a neighborhood without other fine-coffee purveyors guarantees success, but competition still exists. Your intended clientele is already brewing their own top-notch coffee at home or patiently waiting to satisfy their caffeine cravings at work. By introducing your shop, you’re challenging their comfortable routine of enjoying coffee in their pajamas or at their work desks.

Don’t imagine the iPod didn’t face competition when it first launched. In fact, it faced a significant challenge from multiple fronts. Not only did it have to compete with other MP3 players, which were arguably less convenient, but it also had to outdo the storage capacity and convenience of CDs and the variety of radio stations. However, the iPod proved to be a game-changer with its ground-breaking 1.8-inch hard drive, a revolution in music-listening technology. With that iconic click wheel, you could shuffle through songs and switch from classical to heavy metal in the blink of an eye. And let’s not forget how cool it was to play with!

Back in the day, Southwest Airlines started with just three routes in Texas and no big-shot airlines to compete with. They had to convince folks that flying was better than hitting the road in their trusty jalopy. They hyped up the time-saving factor and ensured passengers knew they could still chow down on some grub at home. They also showered their passengers with free booze and had flight attendants rocking hot pants and go-go boots.

When Spirit Airlines decided to focus heavily on the Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) Market in Latin America, it had to compete against other high-priced airlines and face a new and challenging competitor. As technology advanced, Hispanic and Latino Americans could video-chat with their loved ones instead of splurging on expensive flights. Why bother with the hassle of international travel when you could easily catch up with your family while lounging in your jammies and munching on some Cheetos?

Remember, competition is everywhere—focus not just on direct competition but also on changing consumer preferences and hidden alternatives. You can’t just create customers out of thin air. Your product or service has to be compelling enough to make people choose you over your competition. You must offer something dramatically better, faster, cheaper, more powerful, or cooler than your established competitors.

Sock Success: How THORLO’s Customer Focus Led to Big Wins

July 3, 2023 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Jim Throneburg made socks. Innovative socks. “Activity-specific” padded socks. THORLO, his family-owned sock manufacturing company based in Statesville, North Carolina, is known for its innovative padded socks for various activities such as running, hiking, walking, skiing, and more.

Throneburg’s innovation didn’t come from a flash of genius but from a personal experience. In 1953, Throneburg founded THORLO after seeing his father suffer from foot pain caused by poor-quality socks. He started selling socks out of the trunk of his car. As the quality of the socks gained recognition, the company began to expand. In the 1960s, the product line expanded to include socks for hiking and mountaineering, and in the 1970s, THORLO developed a specialized padding system that could be customized for different activities.

In the late 1970s, Throneburg realized that as the function of shoes changed, so should the design of the socks that complemented them. Drawing from his experience at a weight-loss clinic where he needed thicker-soled socks, he transformed Throneburg Hosiery Mill from a commodity business into an innovative sock manufacturer that became THORLO. He invested in new designs, yarns, and technology that he had perfected, making padded socks for the military. The company has since created dozens of sport-specific sock varieties.

THORLO’s R&D happens where the foot meets the sock and the shoe, addressing everyday problems ordinary people face. Throneburg developed a ladies’ rolltop sock for golf and tennis after a woman golfer complained about her socks slipping down. When a man with a rare foot condition found relief from THORLO’s socks and asked if Throneburg could make socks for his young daughters, Throneburg forwarded the request to product development.

Throneburg held more than 25 patents in the United States and internationally, and he was one of the most prolific inventors in the sock, insole, and shoe industries. His success demonstrated that innovation does not require a flashy tech startup or a billion-dollar budget.

Idea for Impact: Innovation could happen anywhere and at any time. It was not just about new products or cutting-edge technologies but about seeing things differently and understanding customers’wants and needs.

Learning from Amazon: Getting Your House in Order

June 12, 2023 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Jeff Bezos is known for his far-sighted perspective and willingness to take bold risks that may not pay off for years. One of his most noteworthy ideas, which we can all learn from and integrate into our own mental frameworks, is the importance of streamlining processes and systems and preparing for expansion.

During the dot-com crash, Amazon’s stock price plummeted an astonishing 90%, hitting a low of just $6 per share in September 2001, down from its peak of $107 per share in December 1999. Bezos remained resolute despite the market’s instability and decreasing confidence in tech startups. Instead of losing his nerve, he doubled down on his long-term vision for the company. He saw an opportunity to reevaluate Amazon’s strategy and focus on achieving financial sustainability.

To this end, Bezos made numerous changes to Amazon’s operations, abandoning the “Get Big Fast” mentality of the startup culture in favor of a new approach focused on “Getting Our House in Order (GOHIO.)” According to Eugene Wei, who worked at Amazon as a strategy analyst from 1997 to 2004, Bezos insisted that his team concentrate on improving the company’s internal systems and processes, eschewing quick fixes or superficial solutions implemented during the company’s early, rapid growth phase. Every decision was aimed at achieving scale, discipline, and efficiency. Bezos also hired new managers to help guide the company toward financial stability.

Thanks to this strategic shift, Amazon weathered the dot-com crash and emerged as one of the most successful corporations in the world. And Bezos came to be widely regarded as one of the most brilliant and accomplished entrepreneurs of modern times.

Idea for Impact: By taking advantage of lull periods to get your affairs in order, you can set yourself up for success in the long run. Whether yearly, monthly, or even weekly, taking the time to get organized, clarify your vision, and establish efficient workflows can help you stay focused and achieve your goals more effectively. And by preparing your physical and digital spaces, mindsets, and personnel, you can create an environment that supports your aspirations and helps you reach your full potential.

Don’t Outsource a Strategic Component of Your Business

May 11, 2023 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

The prescription eyeglasses retailer Warby Parker was launched by four drinking buddies at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The founders intended to disrupt a high-profit margin industry by taking out the intermediary.

Selling prescription eyeglasses online (Warby Parker mostly sells via brick-and-mortar today) would also defy skeptics who preferred to see certain things—shoes, diamond rings, cars—in person and were disinclined to get them online. Warby Parker’s incumbent competitors, 39DollarGlasses.com and EyeBuyDirect.com, had sloppy websites. A crucial part of Warby Parker’s startup plan was to start a user-friendly website where shoppers could upload a photograph of themselves and try on glasses virtually.

At first, the founders outsourced the website, resulting in disastrous consequences. In an interview with Fortune magazine (1-Jun-2019,) co-founder & co-CEO David Gilboa reflected on the pitfalls of outsourcing critical business components:

None of us [the founders] was qualified to build the website, so we solicited proposals and got a handful of bids from agencies. We chose the cheapest option, but a few months in, we realized it was a mistake. Their execution wasn’t what they promised. So we ended up firing them.

Now we develop most of the technology we use in-house to ensure we maintain as much control over the customer experience as possible. We’ve developed our website and both of our apps internally.

Idea for Impact: Don’t outsource what you’re supposed to do best.

Outsourcing a core function may give you a short-term uplift, but you’ll fail to create the core expertise within your company. That’s necessary to build a sustainable competitive advantage. The vendor just isn’t as invested in your success.

Building know-how internally is more challenging, but it’ll pay off in the long run. Sure, you may need to tap an outsourced hire for specialized expertise that you lack. But concentrate on developing your core functions in-house. In fact, be as micro-managey as possible in the early days.

Leverage outside help for bookkeeping, legal, and everything else that doesn’t generate a competitive advantage.

It Takes Luck as Much as Talent

April 24, 2023 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

In The Frontiers of Management (1986,) Peter Drucker writes about how Thomas J. Watson, Sr. emerged as a pioneer in the development of accounting and computing equipment:

Twice in the 1930s [Thomas J. Watson, Sr.] personally was on the verge of bankruptcy. What saved him and spurred IBM sales during the Depression were two New Deal laws: the Social Security Act in 1935 and the Wage-Hours Act of 1937–38. They mandated records of wages paid, hours worked, and overtime earned by employees, in a form in which the employer could not tamper with the records. Overnight they created markets for the tabulating machines and time clocks that Thomas Watson, Sr., had been trying for long years to sell with only moderate success.

Idea for Impact: It’s hard for people who pride themselves on their extraordinary skills to accept that they’re just as lucky as they’re smart.

Luck is primarily the result of identifying opportunities and taking appropriate action. Watson could capitalize on the newly created need for business machines because he had worked in the field for decades. And he gave this kind of luck much credit without feeling that doing so devalued his talent and hard work.

Innovation’s Valley of Death

December 20, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

The discovery and development of an invention are usually easier relative to the creativity and resources required to make it a commercial success. Indeed, many entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs struggle to commercialize their idea meaningfully—establish the idea’s marketability to prospective backers, engage potential customers, and price and promote their product or service for a favorable return on investment. Consider this case study of the Bombardier CSeries jets—fated for misfortune for many years only to morph into the successful Airbus A220 series:

As a country, we habitually underinvest in R&D. And, when domestic champions like Bombardier do emerge, they often prove unable to turn their great ideas into commercially successful, globally dominant businesses.

In a knowledge economy, a country’s future prosperity is increasingly tied to its ability to generate and capitalize on innovative new ideas.

“The paradox is that while there is innovation going on in Canada, we do not observe the same level of commercialization and ownership of those innovations [as in other countries]. In many cases, inventions developed in Canada are then commercialized by foreign companies that keep much of that benefit.”

Idea for Impact: Don’t let your idea fizzle because they can’t take your sizzle to market. Focus not just on overcoming internal barriers but also on how to commercialize your innovation. Hire outside capabilities if necessary.

And the Theranos Board Walks Away Scot-Free

November 19, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Theranos’s Elizabeth Holmes has finally been sentenced to over 11 years in prison. Too bad our corporate law is too narrow to attribute some criminal liability to the company’s board of directors. Such luminaries as former Secretaries of State George Shultz and Henry Kissinger, Marine Corps General James Mattis, and former Secretary of Defense William Perry, once famously portrayed as “the single most accomplished board in U.S. corporate history,” should be partly culpable for Holmes’s malfeasance.

When Holmes explained away her underlying technology as “a chemistry performed so that a chemical reaction occurs and generates a signal from the chemical interaction with the sample, which is translated into a result, which is then reviewed by certified laboratory personnel,” all the board had to do was demand, “Show me.” Determining how a device or service works—exists even—as purported, is the essential obligation of a board member. A truly engaged overseer may have preserved $945 million in investors’ capital and kept a naïve, immoral, and feckless entrepreneur from bullying the press, intimidating her employees, and gambling with the patients’ lives. (Read WSJ reporter John Carreyrou’s excellent chronicle, Bad Blood (2018; my summary.))

The board individually and collectively failed in their responsibilities as trustees of investors’ interests. Undoubtedly drafted as trophy directors to reinforce the company’s standing such as it was, not for any knowledge of blood testing, they now walk away with nothing more than a blot on their illustrated careers.

Make the Problem Yours

September 21, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

From a profile of The Gillette Company’s then-CEO Jim Kilts in the 20-Dec-2002 issue of Fortune magazine:

At a meeting with all his division chiefs, Kilts asked for a show of hands: “How many of you think our costs are too high?” Everyone in the room immediately raised his hand. Then he asked, “How many of you think costs are too high in your department?” Not a single hand went up. According to Kilts, it’s a common response among managers of companies in trouble: Everyone knows there’s a problem, it’s just that nobody thinks it’s his problem. And that’s where Kilts comes in: He’ll make it his problem–and yours, if you plan on keeping your job.

Idea for Impact: Make the problem yours. Think and act like an owner.

One of the most underrated skills most employees lack is ownership/stewardship—taking responsibility for results, recognizing when things aren’t working, and getting problems solved.

Plus, teams mirror initiative-takers. When someone starts to take ownership, other people see that, and they’re likely to take ownership of their bits as well.

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Entrepreneurs

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Most Origin Stories Make a Good Yarn

Many Good Founding Stories are Just That—They’re Good Stories.

Telling a Good Story is a Rehearsed Performance

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Idea for Impact: Don’t outsource what you’re supposed to do best.

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