Just Go Do it

Hello World,

I was talking with our token Oklahoman the other day and decided that we should start blogging our experiences here at Crowd Power.  The intent, I guess, is to let the world ridicule us (and hopefully learn) from the mistakes we make along the way.  Let me preface this by saying that we are extremely excited about what we are about to embark on and I also think it's also going to be a rough few months ahead.

I recently read an article that I would like to share.  Hindsight is always hilarious, but this snippet definitely puts things in perspective:

From the Startup Foundry, written by Christopher Maximin:

"Steve Ballmer, January 2007, on the newly announced iPhone: “You can get a Motorolla Q phone now, for $99; it is a very capable machine, it will do music, it will do internet, it will do email, it will do instant messaging. So I kinda look at that and I say, I like our strategy, I like it a lot.” Ballmer obviously failed to understand that users actually do care about the way they use their device, not just that it “does it”.

Yes, you couldn’t install apps on the original iPhone (can you believe it?). Yes, you couldn’t use the 3G network. And there was no camera. And on top of that, it was crazy expensive.
So why did it prevail? Where was Ballmer wrong?

He just made the common mistake of many entrepreneurs, upcoming and experienced alike: Users actually do care about the way they use their device, not just that it “does it”.
The iPhone then went on to become the gold standard in the smartphone industry.

Three years later, difference device, same story.
Remember how the iPad was decried for being pricey, while having way less features than its competitors? No USB ports, no camera, no multitasking, no Flash…
Phil Schiller (Senior VP of Worldwide product marketing at Apple) dismissed these criticisms in a very simple way:  ”It’s not about the features — it’s about the experience. You just have to try it to see what I mean.” (source).

Not just for big companies

This approach works especially well for young startups, and you still don’t have to be first. Just more focused than your competitors.

Google didn't invent search engines when they released Google search.
37signals didn't invent web based project management software with Basecamp.
Dropbox surely didn't invent concept of online backup services.

Being focused on the core of your product is a big part of the “Lean Startup” methodology.

Conclusion – “Just do it”

There is still room for innovation everywhere. It will always be hard, but never impossible.
Always remember, to not just work harder, work smarter." (Source).

So here we are, Crowd Power is going to just go do it.