Be Narrow, Be Different, Be Casual...Just a few of the ten lessons that Evan Williams, creator of Blogger and Twitter, gives on Web Start Up.
#1: Be Narrow - Focus on the smallest possible problem you could solve that would potentially be useful. Most companies start out trying to do too many things, which makes life difficult and turns you into a me-too. Focusing on a small niche has so many advantages: With much less work, you can be the best at what you do. Small things, like a microscopic world, almost always turn out to be bigger than you think when you zoom in. You can much more easily position and market yourself when more focused. And when it comes to partnering, or being acquired, there's less chance for conflict. This is all so logical and, yet, there's a resistance to focusing. I think it comes from a fear of being trivial. Just remember: If you get to be #1 in your category, but your category is too small, then you can broaden your scope—and you can do so with leverage.
For all 10 great lessons to a Successful Web Start Up read the full article:
http://davidhieatt.typepad.com/doonethingwell/2010/01/10-lessons-of-a-web-start-up.html
Posts
