On how execution is what really matters in startupland
We have a saying in track and field, “Run fast, turn left.”
I remember one of my middle school friends making fun of the assistant coach after they said it for the first time.
“So stupid,” he said as he jabbed an elbow into the boy’s arm next to him, trying to sound cool. “What idiot turns right?”
Like many of us in middle school, this boy missed the point in his quest for social acceptance.
If only he’d been truly listening, he would have understood that the meaning behind “Run fast, turn left.” is quite powerful. You could be Usain Bolt – the fastest person in the world – but if you don’t follow the process, you will be disqualified.
You can have the best idea in the world and an all-star team, but if you can’t execute, nothing else matters.
Someone once told me that I was the “queen of execution” but that I didn’t have what it takes to start a business. Let me tell you: execution is EXACTLY the skill you need to start a business.
From the queen herself, here are a few tips on execution.
See the goal.
If what you’re doing doesn’t get you closer to your goal, then you need to reprioritize quickly. My basketball coach used to say “see the goal” while we did courtside pushups as a way to keep our necks engaged.
I now envision that round hole, glass backboard, mesh net and bright red square every time I do a pushup. Let me give you a work example too.
We initially funded CREx with consulting dollars (I’m a no bullshit person and don’t call this R&D or whatever you’re supposed to do when talking to investors). One of our early consulting opportunities was with a guy that had us redo the deck 8 times, pitch to him twice, and yet, he STILL hadn’t introduced our offering to the executive team. Not to mention that he nickled and dimed us on every little piece of the consulting proposal.
Rather than continuing down this godforsaken (and low margin, if any) rabbit hole, we bowed out.
It was scary to do that because that kind of consulting project paid our bills. Ultimately though, that deal would have cost us more than it benefited us; we would have been in the red on time spent.
We opted instead to see the goal – supporting ourselves with projects that would allow us time to build our SaaS product.
Break big ideas into smaller, tactical pieces.
If you’re an entrepreneur, chances are you have lofty visions. However, you need to be realistic about the time it takes to accomplish pieces of that vision. Focus on what matters most, and then…
Cut, cut, and cut some more.
Get your team together and ask each other over and over again, “Is this feature really necessary?” “Will it impact the user experience significantly if we wait to include it in the next iteration?”
Cut as much as you can so that you can get the product/feature in your users hands and have real user feedback ASAP.
This is something that Darren Allen, or Daz, does exceptionally well for us at CREx. By focusing on the simplest version of the feature possible, we move quickly while still solving our customers’ problems.
Celebrate the wins.
Starting a company is tough.
Building a product is even tougher.
You will probably get it wrong the first few times, and that’s okay. When you do get it right, go all out and celebrate. Let your team know that you appreciate them and respect their hard work.
In summary, you can be the best at what you do and still not succeed simply because you can’t execute. Focus on execution.
And remember: Run fast, turn left.
Want more? Subscribe below.
MY COMMITMENT | Never sell or share your data | Provide useful and impactful stories