Embrace the idea of having less mass. Right now, you're the smallest, the
leanest, and the fastest you'll ever be. From here on out, you'll start accumulating
mass. And the more massive an object, the more energy required to change its
direction. It's as true in the business world as it is in the physical world. Mass is
increased by ...
Long-term contracts
Excess staff
Permanent decisions
Meetings
Thick process
Inventory (physical or mental)
Hardware, software, and technology lock-ins
Long-term road maps
Office politics
Avoid these things whenever you can. That way, you'll be able to change
direction easily. The more expensive it is to make a change, the less likely you
are to make it.
Huge organizations can take years to pivot. They talk instead of act. They
meet instead of do. But if you keep your mass low, you can quickly change
anything: your entire business model, product, feature set, and/or marketing
message. You can make mistakes and fix them quickly. You can change your
priorities, product mix, or focus. And most important, you can change your
mind.
*Jim Rutenberg, "Clinton Finds Way to Play Along with Drudge," New York
Times, Oct. 22, 2007.
*"Fascinating Facts About James Dyson, Inventor of the Dyson Vacuum
Cleaner in 1978," www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/dyson.htm
+Russ Mitchell, "The Beat Goes On," CBS News, Sunday Morning, Mar. 29,
2009, www.tinyurl.com/cd8gjq
++Eric Ransdell, "The Nike Story? Just Tell It!" Fast Company, Dec. 19,
2007, www.fastcompany.com/magazine/31/nike.html
*"Mary Kay Ash: Mary Kay Cosmetics," Journal of Business Leadership 1,
no. 1 (Spring 1988); American National Business Hall of Fame,
www.anbhf.org/laureates/mkash.html
*"Stanley Kubrick--Biography," IMDB, www.imdb.com/name/nm00004o/bio
*Mission, Enterprise Rent-a-Car,