Don’t confuse a dream with a plan.
That's my take-away from a conversation with a would-be startup founder today.
“Mine will go viral.” Is a dream. It’s unusual and difficult to do on purpose. What’s the plan to make it go viral?
“I’ll get 10,000 paying customers to validate the idea and fund development.” Is a (lofty) dream. Do you know how hard it usually is to get your first paying customer, much less to reach 10,000? What’s the plan to plan to validate, market, test, iterate?
Speaking from experience
I once started a company that made a product that I was sure agencies would love— project management, time tracking, contract utilization. Not like these one size fits all Asanas and Basecamps. Every agency would use it! Then, we’d connect them in a marketplace! THEN I’M BUYING A YACHT!
I believed friends and family who said the product was amazing. And, after spending months building the thing, I finally started approaching prospective customers (a little worried about scaling), and I heard the same thing over and over:
Yeah, we’re actually good with email and Google docs. Looks really cool, though.
I was so focused on my dream that I marched right out into the cold imagining the beautiful cabin just over the hill without a plan of how to get there or what to do if it wasn’t where I thought it was. And it wasn’t.
So I froze. Almost a year of my life with nothing to show for it but grayer hair.
Have a plan. Write it down.
Keep it realistic and flexible. Then, work it. Believe the numbers. That’s reality. Don't be afraid to quit if you see that what you're doing isn't working. Choose a different path. Corollary: Don't confuse denial with faith.
If you find yourself explaining why everyone will obviously love and buy your thing instead of everyone actually doing that, that’s just a dream. That and a big handful of dollars will get you a nice pumpkin spice latte.