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This article was published on October 20, 2011

Steve, you were right


Steve, you were right

Yes Steve, you were right.

Whilst reading almost every article there is on Steve Jobs this past month, I came across this video. What drew me to this video was the part where Steve explains that “focus is about saying no”. Quite simple when you think about it, but so hard to implement.

I never thought it would be so difficult to say: “no, we are not developing this feature right now” when you know how bad you want that feature ready.

We have so many plans and everyone says “just do one thing good”- but it seems that doing one thing is not that simple. I’ve noticed that different customers give different feedback, so for us it has been a bit tricky in prioritizing all of the new features that are needed.

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I keep saying at the office that my next startup should be duplicating our R&D rock stars so we could finish all the tasks. After I go back to reality we have an in-house debate on what is more important than what. And it’s almost like answering who do you like more, daddy or mommy?

Our product is our child and prioritizing our child’s characteristics is crucial.

In the end, Steve is right, focus is about saying no and a startup must be focused. It’s the only way to make the world a better place with under a million dollars. I just wish someone would have told me it’s so damn hard…

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