I have seen many smart people and good businesses suffer because of a desire for perfection…the perfect label, the perfect timing, the perfect product, the perfect customer, etc. etc.
Unfortunately, waiting for perfection usually is a permanent wait. Even Apple’s Steve Jobs (a notorious perfectionist) has to eventually declare the product “good enough” and start selling, but for most startups even a Jobsian style wait may be too long and wastes two of the primary advantages of a startup…speed and flexibility.
For most startups, the best strategy is to plan quickly, execute to the best of your ability then iterate. By following a speed to market strategy startups can take advantage of their relative size and use it against the bigger, slower competition. It also has the advantage of minimizing the time spent in the negative cash flow “valley of death” and that can significantly increase any businesses chances of success.
So don’t sit around waiting….Just Do It.
