Starting up #1 - Focus on one thing
This is the first post in a different kind of series on being a web entrepreneur. My goal is to show why making decisions in context will make a web business more successful. No decision stands alone; everything you do in your business will affect every other aspect of it.
Focus on one thing
The biggest and most common misconception I come across among web entrepreneurs is a perceived need to offer absolutely everything in their software or service.
The project management app that is also a social network, a travel planner, a micro blogging tool, and an image repository with strong Flickr integration straight out of the gate is going to end up in the deadpool.
And that was a real life example. Thankfully it didn’t go beyond the idea stage, saving everyone involved much heartache.
But even doing “everything” within a much narrower field can cause problems. A photo sharing site that offers image editing, photo equipment auctions, gallery templates, stock photo sales, image printing, tutorials, assignment listings, etc is also likely to have a short lifespan.
The solution is simple.
Start small, focus on one thing.
The best way to do this is to gain a clear understanding of what is truly unique about your idea. How will it solve a problem, or make life better for its users? How does it differ from the competition?
When you know what it is - focus on that, and make it work really, really well.
If you cannot come up with a clear answer to why your Project X is unique, move on to something else.
And don’t feel hemmed in. I don’t believe that any field is out of bounds. When I told people about Matt Biddulph’s Dopplr some chuckled about “online travel being saturated”. True, but no one had done the Dopplr thing.
As long as your offering is unique, or overlooked, or even due for a refresh, then you have a shot. But only if you stay focused.
Photo by duncan. CC attribution.
