On Visions and Talking Big
One thing I love about Dropbox is how they never really talked about grand visions. They just quietly built one of the most important and widely used pieces of software.
Contrast this with most other startups in the media. They all go on about how they are going to completely change the face of humanity with their shiny new mobifotosocio app. What does it do? It helps you share anything with anyone anywhere.
Wow! Is Modesty your middle name? An app based on a unique idea like that could change the trajectory of the planets!
The best founders speak in specifics.
When they describe what their product does, they say it in the most mundane narrow-sounding words. I think this comes from the clarity of knowing exactly what problem they are solving.
So, even though I couldn’t agree more with Andy Swan about having a core, I disagree with him about how to define it.
YES: “We’re a photo-sharing site for people who love cats and dogs.”
NO: “We help pet-owners share their memories.”
Corporate HQ skyscraper? 50 years from now? Like Drew said in his Stanford talk, I’m just trying to write code and hope this compiles!
So, I’m just going to get that program to compile.
I can talk about my perfect grand vision in my autobiography when I’m old and have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.
