To win, simply don’t lose.
We all make mistakes and our journeys are imperfect, which means that merely avoiding fucking up (badly) is sometimes the path to success.
I think about this often in the context of our journey with WooThemes, where we made so many mistakes along the way and that after 6 years (when I exited the company) there were still so many imperfections within the business. Even something as simple as some of our internal reporting, where we just couldn’t extract the perfect data in the ideal context to help us make certain decisions. We tried, but we also flew blind at times.
My key takeaway from this experience has however been that none of these fuckups or imperfections hindered us from building a thriving, profitable business. Neither did it hinder my exit from the company in late-2013.
It might sound ridiculous to suggest that a way to win is just to avoid losing. It might also sound slightly defeatist and pessimistic when you hear an entrepreneur (who is supposed to be ambitious and optimistic at all costs) say it.
But I think it’s true: surviving long enough and avoiding fatal fuckups means you’ll inevitably build something of value (and that would fit into a definition of success).
Full unparaphrased post here: Do Not Fuck This Up · Adii Pienaar
@adii will be joining us on the 20th of May for an interactive “ask me anything” session.