The Agile Startup: Quick and Dirty Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know

First, Decide What Not to Do

Unfortunately, there are only 24 hours in a day. Even the best-funded startups are in a struggle against time. Despite working nonstop, deadlines will slip and opportunities will be missed. It’s easy to get bogged down in day-to-day administrative tasks that don’t really move your business forward. Because there’s so much to accomplish and so little time, you must execute on what matters most. The best way to do this is to have a clear understanding of the core of your idea, which allows you to know what to do and, importantly, what not to do. You will be pulled in a dozen different directions as you get your company off the ground. It takes awareness and discipline to reject distractions that are opportunities in disguise, and stick to the plan. As tempting as it may be to split your focus, it’s a recipe for mediocre execution and failure. One great way to initiate this process is to define what you are not. “I am not a consultant” . . . “We are not an incubator” . . . “We are not a manufacturer.” Once you have a baseline of what you are not, it’s easier to define what you are and use this as your North Star. First, decide what not to do.

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