Do things that don't scale

In early 2009 we were one of sixteen companies accepted into the prestigious seed funding program called Y-Combinator. If you don't know YC, read this article in Wired or visit their web site. On the first day of the program, we presented Paul Graham with ideas on how to spend the next 3 months growing (saving, really) our company. He, having seen hundreds of companies fail prior to us, dismissed our 'brilliant tech strategies' citing the wrong approach. Our hearts sinking, we looked at one another with puzzled faces, (gulp) "What were we going to do?". He broke the silence with a simple question, one that forever changed the course of the business: "Where is your market?"

At the time we didn't have much of a market. The product/market fit wasn't yet there, and it showed. Weekly revenue was less than what it costs to buy an iPad. There was one city that showed promise. The 'city that never sleeps' had signs of people sleeping. Paul, in his iconic voice, said, "So your customers are in New York, and you're here in Mountain View [California]." "Yeah..", we said. He restates, "Your customers are in New York, and you're in Mountain View". After an awkward silence, his voice rises, "What are you still doing here! Go to New York City!". 

For the first time in our internet lives we were given permission to do things that don't scale. His message was to forget convention of solving problems from behind a computer screen. In the early days, it's not programming that will make or break you. It's the people, the customers. Leave the computer, and go to the people. We did, and never looked back. 

Steve Jobs, BMW & eBay

http://blog.adamnash.com/2011/10/10/steve-jobs-bmw-ebay/

Steve got on stage at the front of the room in Infinite Loop 4, and put a huge, larger than life picture of Michael Dell on the wall.  He repeated the news fodder that Michael Dell had been asked recently what he would do if he was running Apple Computer.  (At the time, Dell was the ultimate success story in the PC industry.)  Dell said that he would liquidate the company and return the cash to shareholders.

A few gasps, a few jeers and some general murmuring in the audience.  But I don’t think they expected what he said next.

And you know what? He’s right.

The world doesn’t need another Dell or HP.  It doesn’t need another manufacturer of plain, beige, boring PCs.  If that’s all we’re going to do, then we should really pack up now.

But we’re lucky, because Apple has a purpose.  Unlike anyone in the industry, people want us to make products that they love.  In fact, more than love.  Our job is to make products that people lust for.  That’s what Apple is meant to be.

What’s BMW’s market share of the auto market?  Does anyone know?  Well, it’s less than 2%, but no one cares.  Why?  Because either you drive a BMW or you stare at the new one driving by.  If we do our job, we’ll make products that people lust after, and no one will care about our market share.

Apple is a start-up.  Granted, it’s a startup with $6B in revenue, but that can and will go in an instant.  If you are here for a cushy 9-to-5 job, then that’s OK, but you should go.  We’re going to make sure everyone has stock options, and that they are oriented towards the long term.  If you need a big salary and bonus, then that’s OK, but you should go.  This isn’t going to be that place.  There are plenty of companies like that in the Valley.  This is going to be hard work, possibly the hardest you’ve ever done.  But if we do it right, it’s going to be worth it.

He then clicked through to a giant bullseye overlayed on Michael Dell’s face.

I don’t care what Michael Dell thinks.  If we do our job, he’ll be wrong.  Let’s prove him wrong.

All I can remember is thinking: “Wow. Now that’s how you regroup, refocus and set a company in motion.”  I had seen speeches by Gil Amelio in 1996, and there was nothing comparable.  Please remember, at this point in time it wasn’t at all obvious that Steve or Apple would actually succeed. But I felt like I’d witnessed a little piece of history.

Appitude

Noun • Having an overly positive attitude about using a mobile
application that you developed

"Julie's glare showed her appitude when the guy in line asked her why
she was so engrossed with her iPhone"

How great entrepreneurs think

Good read from Inc Magazine.

One of the quotes:

"I always live by the motto of 'Ready, fire, aim.' I think if you spend too much time doing 'Ready, aim, aim, aim,' you're never going to see all the good things that would happen if you actually started doing it. I think business plans are interesting, but they have no real meaning, because you can't put in all the positive things that will occur...If you know intrinsically that this is possible, you just have to find out how to make it possible, which you can't do ahead of time."