Loic Le Meur is an accomplished entrepreneur . I found this on TechCrunch and thought to share. This is solid stuff. There is something that applies to every leader and entrepreneur…
1. Don’t wait for a revolutionary idea. It will never happen. Just focus on a simple, exciting, empty space and execute as fast as possible.
2. Share your idea. The more you share, the more you get advice and the more you learn. Meet and talk to your competitors.
3. Build a community. Use blogging and social software to make sure people hear about you.
4. Listen to your community. Answer questions and build your product with their feedback.
5. Gather a great team. Select those with very different skills from you. Look for people who are better than you.
6. Be the first to recognise a problem. Everyone makes mistakes. Address the issue in public, learn about and correct it.
7. Don’t spend time on market research. Launch test versions as early as possible. Keep improving the product in the open.
8. Don’t obsess over spreadsheet business plans. They are not going to turn out as you predict, in any case.
9. Don’t plan a big marketing effort. It’s much more important and powerful that your community loves the product.
10. Don’t focus on getting rich. Focus on your users. Money is a consequence of success, not a goal.
This is so good, I don’t know where to start. I am all jacked up on Mt. Dew about a number of these. Don’t focus on getting rich (success), but instead focus on the people who benefit from your service (users). The whole emphasis on ditching spreadsheet business plans, focusing on team building, and listening to your community are all good.
Personally the most impacting rests on numero uno. Don’t know how many times I have delayed, pondered, over prayed and under acted, and stalled waiting for this big revolutionary BHAG or out of fear and insecurity delayed on what seemed to be the no brainer action.