Comments on: Startups: It’s O.K. to Change Your Mind / Product

By: Geoff Crane

Geoff Crane — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:02:06 +0000

As someone in the early days of his startup my goodness I can say that it’s essential to be flexible with your offerings. If I stuck exclusively to the ideas I had when I first conceived of my products I wouldn’t be making any money at all. Thanks so much for this article–it reminds me to stay flexible.

By: And So It Begins

And So It Begins — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:25:29 +0000

[...] with the Lean Startup and Minimum Viable Product (MVP) theories evangelized by Eric Ries and a slew of others. A basic understanding involves stripping your grand idea down to a MVP, and [...]

By: dmartell

dmartell — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:05:32 +0000

Marc, Thanks! I’ve heard that Paul Graham starts each Y-Combinator class by asking if anyone wants to change their mind / product / idea. There’s many examples of companies mid-stream (within YC) that “pivot”.

I also agree with starting with a powerpoint deck. Steve Blanks recent post amplifies this (different context though).

“Lessons Learned” – A New Type of Venture Capital Pitch
http://steveblank.com/2009/11/12/“lessons-learned”-–-a-new-type-of-vc-pitch/

By: Trevor

Trevor — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:37:22 +0000

If you write a piece on hi-tech Canadians working stateside or startups to watch on the East Coast I’m going to litigate : )

Agree that the football analogy is stronger than using basketball. The thing about football is that you use the kinetic energy of the person hitting you to help you spin. You don’t try to avoid the contact, merely re-direct it.

Nice work.

By: Mark MacLeod

Mark MacLeod — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:43:38 +0000

Great post. So many examples. This is really key. I don’t know why so many startups feel bad about changing direction. In terms of customer dev, it is key. So much so, that for I almost think it should be the 1st thing seed programs do. Before you write a line of code, work up some wireframes and a pitch deck and go talk to people. You do need to have vision. The market won’t tell you everything. But if you want to be lean and capital efficient, you need early allignment with what the market wants and will pay for.

By: dmartell

dmartell — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:28:30 +0000

@Raj Creative Destruction <- I love it. That concept also triggers a conversation I was with a friend who asked me how we wanted to position Flowtown in the market (re: segment / vertical). His suggestion was “you need to do it in a way that if your closest competitor did this, it would cannibalize their business”. I’m not sure if that falls into the same ideas as Creative Destruction, but it certainly reminds me of the Innovators Dilemma and the importance to spin out innovation from the “mother ship” - especially when it challenges the current business model.

EA is a great example, and you’re right - kudos to the leadership team for making such a hard decision.

By: Raj Gajwani

Raj Gajwani — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:36:53 +0000

This is a general issue with all businesses in a world of creative destruction — a term which Joseph Schumpeter popularized nearly a century ago. One way to think of strategic business management is “decision making under uncertainty”. In that context, your job as a leader is to constantly develop and test hypothesis that help dispel the uncertainty around what the market will reward.

A very recent example is EA, which is laying off lots of people even as it pivots into social gaming with the Playfish acquisition. The perceived-safe course would have been to stay on the pre-existing course while the market evolves, but I’m impressed that the leadership of EA is bold enough to so dramatically pivot a very large organization — a much harder task than pivoting a startup.

By: Darren Lancaster

Darren Lancaster — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:33:19 +0000

Dan,

As you and I discussed at F4F we’re just diving headlong into a pivot right now that’s vision/mgmt-led. This will be my second such pivot and the first one was a tremendous success (back in 97-98) so I’m hoping I haven’t forgotten how to get it done. Jury is still out…

But pivoting is a great alternative to waking up on your back looking up at a cliff.

By: Tom Savage

Tom Savage — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:38:11 +0000

One of the biggest difficulties is also the psychological, which you don’t touch on in much detail. Not everyone’s as scientific as you

This can manifest itself in a number of ways. One is an entrepreneur who refuses to deviate from his initial idea, preventing finding optimum revenue because he stubbornly believes in his first concept. The other is refusing to quit, long past the time you should have and then never making it out. There are many more.

Another example of a pivot is Patagonia, started as a climbing equipment company, moved into clothing. Plus, it’s one of the most environmentally sound out there, so inevitably I like it.

By: The Classic Carol

The Classic Carol — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:50:41 +0000

“Actually, the only thing I like about footballs are the inpirational movies,…” Did you mean inspirational movies? What’s your email, I’ll email it next time.