“Society comprises two classes: those who have more food than appetite, and those who have more appetite than food.” — Nicolas Chamfort, Maximes et Pensées (ca. 1760-1790)
I came across this quote this morning from The New Inquiry and I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s just always amazing to me when a person from so long ago makes a statement that still be applies to this very day.
So where do you fall?
I’ve been watching Foundation videos for a few years now, and they are among the most amazing resources on the web for tech/internet entrepreneurs. In case you aren’t familiar with them, the videos are produced by Revision3 and each one is hosted by Kevin Rose. They are shot interview-style and feature some of the brightest minds in the internet space discussing telling their success stories. I’ve selected a few of my favorites and added them below–I seriously encourage you to set aside a few hours and watch them (or save them for later viewing). If you aren’t amped up to do something awesome after watching them, you may never be.
Kevin Systrom, Instagram
http://revision3.com/foundation/kevinsystrom
John Borthwick, Betaworks
http://revision3.com/foundation/johnborthwick
Chris Sacca, Lowercase Capital
http://revision3.com/foundation/sacca
Brian Wong, Kiip
It’s amazing how many times you question yourself when working on a new product. Do people really want this? Is it going to be worth all of our effort in the end? Do we really know enough to do it right?
It’s a constant struggle between exciting moments of insight and the crippling unknown.
But there comes a point when the vision becomes clearer. When you and the team finally refine the product and focus on its core reason for being. Then all of a sudden, like magic, confidence sets in. Other products in the market don’t seem like competitors, and if they do, they are sub-par competitors. Articles seem to all be pointing to where you’re heading. The clouds start to break and the whole team is now mission-driven.
This is the moment we just hit. After 8 or so months of playing this game, we now have our atomic unit as Fred Wilson mentioned recently. We finally have the differentiating factor we were seeking. The thing we so desperately needed to believe in. It’s an exciting time but we certainly realize it’s just the beginning.
And the beginning feels a lot better when you’re totally confident in what your building.
So if you’re stuck in this questioning phase, take a moment to define why your product matters. Not necessarily why it’s needed, but why it matters. Once you truly understand that, the confidence to push forward sets in. The team is ready to go to war. It’s a great feeling.
I can’t discuss what we are building just yet but I am going to use this blog as a way of chronicling the experience along the way. The ups, downs and lessons learned. I hope you find it useful and I encourage you to share your comments with me.
nickrovisa.me 