Stay light. No, even lighter.
Starting out, a business is small, lean, and nimble. It is like a speedboat. Then, you begin
collecting stuff, tangible and intangible. You become a yacht, soon to become a cruise ship.
The bigger you get, the more energy you need to keep moving or change direction. What makes a business heavy?
- Long-term commitments – leases, contracts.
- Excess – overhead, people.
- Inflexible decisions – buy versus rent, salaries versus contracts.
- Meetings without productive agendas.
- Bureaucratic processes and office politics
- Too much stuff—material, goods, assignments.
- Overemphasis on long-term planning.
This is not a complete list, but you get the idea.
The more difficult it is to make a change, the less likely that you will do it. If you stay light, you can swiftly change the business model, marketing messages, feature set, and priorities. You can make course corrections. Essentially, you can change your mind.
The World Is A Bazaar- Life Is A Negotiation
How to be an American: An off-the-record guide for how to be an immigrant in America
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