Tweets

@pjrvs 💯

@ollieread Can you give me an example where that’s true?

@calebporzio That set!!!!! 😍

@fredrivett Can you give me an example of that?

@DanAlbas Forbidding the use, transport, and trade of assault weapons is a good start.

Canada just experienced a horrific killing spree. Making it more difficult for folks to obtain, and use, these guns is a must.

I live in the Okanagan, and I disagree with your position.

🎯 https://twitter.com/ianlandsman/status/1256310872483323904

@ianlandsman To me, "my idea is to launch a product in this validated market" *is* the idea. That's the concept you're building on.

You see the pull of the market, and you think: "I've got an idea: I should build something here that does X better."

@fredrivett @sivers It's Sivers' math I don't like. 😉

The future potential is all contained in the idea. It's either a 1X idea, a 10X idea, a 100x idea, etc...

Execution, I think, isn't the biggest multiplier. Maybe it gives you 1.5X. In most cases (especially with today's tech stacks) I think 1X

@mattymcjesus 🙌

@yodanparry I think you could still apply my framework to movie making:

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1256301356727414784

@ispekhov Yes. Here’s the framework I use:

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1256301356727414784

@ollieread That’s implied though.

The framework that those folks are recommending is: “Choose an idea, and start executing! Don’t worry, the quality of the idea doesn’t matter much."

@FindJimClair Here’s my framework:

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1256301356727414784

Realizing that many of you use this framework:

Idea ➡️ Execution (and validation is a part of execution)

That’s not how I think about ideas and execution.

@FindJimClair I think we should have a sense whether an idea’s basic premise is good, before we start building it.

Otherwise, why would we dedicate years of our lives working on it?

https://blog.asmartbear.com/customer-validation.html

@nickwritesit @rjs @basecamp 2nd tweet in the thread 😉

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1255878157980164096?s=21 https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1255878157980164096

@mcdickenson Weird. That’s exactly what I think!

Tons of examples of well executed products in the PH graveyard.

Hell, Google itself has a graveyard with well-executed products, but where the underlying idea didn’t excite users.

@fredrivett I couldn’t disagree more!

If that’s true, why did all of 37signals’ subsequent products not hit the high mark that Basecamp did?

Both Jason and David are quick to admit that Basecamp is their “best idea” so far.

https://signalvnoise.com/posts/2235-work-on-your-best-idea

@fredrivett Initially, people buy the story because it’s a good story.

Once someone’s earned a reputation as a storyteller, folks might trust them blindly to produce future stories, but even then - people want a good story. It’s the concept that matters.

@mcdickenson Not sure what you mean in 2.

@fredrivett Think about Harry Potter (or Star Wars).

Certainly, the eventual distribution, marketing, etc helped, but initially JK Rowling and Lucas were relatively unknown (and didn’t have an audience).

What *did* they have? A great concept for a story.

@IGrabill All of those things you listed are important, but if you’re building something nobody wants (the idea) none of that other stuff matters.

@dohertyjf Holy shit. This article is 🤯

“I’m working on an idea for a new app.”

If you’re reasonably good at execution, what matters is *whether people want what you’re building.* That speaks to the strength of the idea.

@FindJimClair @ScottHYoung Scott agrees with this:

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1256228367306760200?s=21 https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1256228367306760200

@nphaskins To me, the concept should include the intended market. 👍

When an author says: “I have an idea for my next book” the success of that book largely depends on the concept they’ve chosen.

The same is true in business.

@ispekhov I don’t think there’s anything “easy” about that progress.

To me, it’s like being a surfer and having to learn all the fundamentals, and then learn where to go in the water, and then waiting for the right wave (opportunity).

https://justinjackson.ca/surfing

@karankchadha Yup!

@SmallTimeVC That’s not the way it’s popularly presented: https://sivers.org/multiply

@PatTheIdeaCoach Yes! 🎯

@_JackAn_ I don’t normally agree with VCs, but I’ll make an exception here 😉

@ScottHYoung When you say: “I have an idea for my next book” the success of that book largely depends on the concept you’ve chosen.

@ScottHYoung Examples like YouTube, Slack, and Twitter aren’t great because they all had funding (which gave them the time to fail at one idea, and then try another).

@ispekhov I’m in the Hey beta; I can tell you there’s nothing easy about this idea.

They have a whole new concept for how email should work.

@ispekhov I like WPengine, Basecamp, ConvertKit; all profitable.

@ispekhov You’ll have to give different examples, because (for me) neither of those are good businesses.

@JackEllis A good business idea has clear market potential before you’ve done much of the building.

I know talented makers who had to hunt for years before they found a good idea.

Good ideas are not easy to find. Often, you have to wait for them.

The problem is, most of us are impatient and want to *execute* as soon as possible, so we pick the first idea that comes to mind.

@zorigitano God. That is heartbreaking.

@ispekhov Meaning, a product can be well-built, they can have the best marketing person, they can have the perfect launch, and attract thousands of users... but the underlying idea has no “pull.”

The ultimate outcome is most influenced by the idea; not by how hard (or smart) people work.

@natalienagele I think there’s a time (before the execution) where the quality of the idea reveals itself:

- how many people seem to want this?
- what attributes of this do they want?
- what’s a feature that everyone is missing, but people clearly want?

It roughly fits the Hill Chart model.

@AllanCaeg Yup. What you choose to execute on matters most. 🎯

@ParisPolaris “How long will this wave last?” and “Where’s the next one?”

We often compare ideas to seeds. But a bad seed can’t grow into a plant; only a good seed can.

Got a bad idea? Don’t spend lots of time fertilizing it, watering it, and trying to get it to grow. No! Throw it away.

Focus on cultivating good ideas and helping them grow. 🌱

@axsuul Nope. That’s not what I mean.

Ideas are either good, or they’re bad.

We often compare them to seeds. But a bad seed can’t grow into a plant; only a good seed can.

@eb_rocchi @wendyzuk @sciencevs Mine too! I just recommended the podcast to my mom a few weeks ago, and she really likes it. 👍

@natalienagele My point is that all the “future potential” is in the idea itself. If it’s not a good business idea, no amount of execution will make it a success.

I think execution matters, but recognizing and “shaping” a good idea is the foundational step you need first.

@r00k Best line ever.

We underestimate the power of a good idea.

Most of the future potential for success is contained within the idea itself.

Of course you need to *do the work* to move forward. But the idea determines your direction and momentum.

“We are, admittedly, doing some cursor shenanigans.” – @r00k

@ispekhov If ideas are so easy, why are most business ideas so bad?

When I scroll through old Product Hunt listings, I see page after page of ideas that people have executed on.

The products themselves are often well-built; it’s the underlying idea that’s bad.

@jayclouse I’m experiencing similar things.

(Although, I miss going to the office and hanging out with my friends)

@hjohnson0445 @QasimRashid It's definitely more accessible, but you still need to have considerable margin in your life to even think about it (much less make educated decisions).

@johnnytong I think, in startup lore, we overemphasize the accidents. 😉

Glitch --> Slack
Odeo --> Twitter

Most businesses don't get a second chance like that.

Here's the original study by Edward N. Wolff at New Yor University:
https://www.nber.org/papers/w24085

Here's the NYT piece:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/08/business/economy/stocks-economy.html

@heyjoshwood thx luv u 4ever 😘

@hjohnson0445 @QasimRashid The full report is here:
https://www.nber.org/papers/w24085

NYT piece is here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/08/business/economy/stocks-economy.html

@patrickjmq 👍

According to the New York Times, "84 percent of all stocks owned by Americans belong to the wealthiest 10 percent of households."

The way to get richer in America is to be rich enough to have the time, money, and personal margin to invest in stocks. https://twitter.com/QasimRashid/status/1255954613762691077

@seanwes "Fonts from Dropbox..." I'm already out. 🤣

🎯 https://twitter.com/gilesvangruisen/status/1255947487510216704

@uibreakfast @userlist Nice! Congrats.

There are tons of tech people who are skilled at building software but struggle to build good software businesses.

The difference is in the quality of their ideas.

@psantloki But the potential for success is all contained within the idea itself.

Sometimes executing is easy, sometimes it's hard; the market doesn't care!

The market isn't grading you on how hard it was to execute on an idea; but rather on whether they want what you built.

@ispekhov Yup, coming up with low-quality ideas is easy.

(So is executing on something poorly).

@Manish_Ramesh In a business setting, the quality of an idea is determined greatly by how much market demand there is for that idea.

Your understanding of the shape of the demand for an idea will greatly influence your execution (and whether or not you've satisfied market demand).

@justincone For me there's another dynamic:

"In a business setting, the quality of an idea is determined greatly by how much market demand there is for that idea, and how you shape and execute on that idea so it satisfies the market."

@tony0x01 Yeah, that’s a Sivers quote as well:
https://sivers.org/multiply

Historically, I’ve always believed it, but now I’m pushing pack on that idea. 😉

🎯 https://twitter.com/ajlkn/status/1255906576516472837

Folks keep commenting: "But coming up with ideas *is* easy!"

Coming up with low-quality ideas is easy.

(So is executing something poorly).

@wilschroter @hnshah Yes, but the quality of the eventual idea you execute on matters!

If you continue to focus on a mediocre idea, even with the best execution, you’ll get mediocre results.

🎯 https://twitter.com/hnshah/status/1255900913597771776

If you don’t believe me, go browse old listings on Product Hunt.

You’ll see page after page of beautifully executed products that never achieved meaningful traction.

There have been thousands of ideas posted; most failed.

Are ideas really “easy?”

The risk with overemphasizing “execution” is it deludes people into running that if they work hard enough they can make any idea successful.

It’s just not true.

On the flip side, an idea that has tons of demand may need less “hard work” to make it succeed!

@jimmyjacobson But that’s not the way it’s normally presented: https://sivers.org/multiply

@soulcutter @noahwbragg It’s not if we’re looking at it from a business perspective.

There are tons of devs who are great at building software, but who struggle to build good software businesses.

The difference is in the quality of the ideas.

@chrisfosterelli That’s not the way it’s often presented: https://sivers.org/multiply

@smgrieser I don’t know.

I think the reason most businesses fail isn’t because their execution was bad.

I think most businesses fail because they chose the wrong thing to build.

The market you choose, and the idea that you focus on, are the most important business decisions you’ll make. They determine your trajectory.

Yes, how you execute is a part of that, but your ceiling for success is set by the idea itself.

The ability to identify a good idea takes a lifetime of effort! It’s the culmination of the experiences you’ve had, the markets you’ve observed, the customers you’ve listened to, the experiments you’ve run.

In software, the execution piece (building it) is easy by comparison.

💯 https://twitter.com/theandreboso/status/1255873418144157698

@soulcutter @noahwbragg I actually think the ability to identify an idea takes a TON of effort. It’s a lifetime of effort! The experiences you have, the markets you observe, the customers you talk to.

Increasingly, the effort (building the software) is easy by comparison.

I know it’s popular to say “Ideas are easy. Execution is everything,” but I disagree.

If ideas are so easy, why are most business ideas so bad?

The opportunity you identify, and focus on, matters a lot.

@ramsey Mostly tweets. 😉

Do some folks really prefer iOS to MacOS for work?

Every time I’m writing on my iPhone I can’t wait to get back to my Mac.

@benediktdeicke @userlist You got a puppy?!? 🐶

@theideasofchris Can you give me an example?

“Over the long term, the future is decided by optimists. To be an optimist you don’t have to ignore all the many problems we create; you just have to imagine improving our capacity to solve problems.” – @kevin2kelly

• When you read pricing guidelines, be wary of how you apply them. Pricing depends on the market you serve (and the amount of demand in that market), the economic environment, your costs, what customers will pay, and what the competition is doing.

• A recession is probably a bad time to experiment with “charge
more” or “double your rates.” Folks are looking to save money!

• by the time you’ve chosen your market segment, most of your pricing decisions have already been made for you. You’re going to be anchored to what customers expect to pay in your category (and what competitors are currently charging).

Seeing lots of good discussion on this episode. ✌️

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/build-your-saas-bootstrap-in-2020/id1357295850?i=1000472925317

A few of my key points 👉

This is what I’m using for the @TransistorFM contests I’m running. 👍 https://twitter.com/ContestKit/status/1255587823408701440

@ianlandsman Lol. I joke.

But your banker might love an edible arrangement like this.

@ericseliasson That’s Bullet.

Link here: https://transistor.fm/podcast-audio-video-clip

@ianlandsman Crazy how liberal Americans have gotten with cannabis these days.

@ianlandsman 💯

@nerdburn Did @inputlogic come out of the accelerator?

@caruizdiaz Did they give you any seed funding?