Tim O’Reilly Says Startups Don’t Necesarily Need To Focus
I was cruising the Demopit at Techcrunch50 and spotted Tim O’Reilly a serious tech veteran and celebrity. I thought I’d stop him and get his thoughts on focus. Of course I’d sure he’d give us sage advice on why they should be brutally focused.
I was wrong.
OK, he’s right. For some startups, at early stages, exploring is good. Actually in all startups, regularly exploring is important. I’d suggest that at some point and at most times, the priority needs to be given to focus. But you need to look around. You need to try things. Think of different angles. See what other companies in different markets/industries are doing that you can learn from.
What’s the balance? Hmm, let me throw up some completely instinctive thoughts.
- Before starting – 90% exploring, 10% focus – going completely wide might drive you completely wild.
- Started, pre-launch – 30% exploring, 70% focus – some exploration of people, markets, ideas for your core utility, but mostly focus on that first, tiny product.
- Launched and growing – 10% exploring, 90% focus – one thing at a time, focus on getting it done. Some exploring to avoid myopia.
What do you think?
Were do you think you are right now?
Do you have the balance right?
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