Nov 19, 2009
Dont die in the wrong lake
In 1997 I joined a technology startup that did everything right.. except the first thing.
Our technology allowed morphing of complex polygonal models, it allowed designers to transfer surface shape from one design to another. Very cool technology; Alias, Autodesk and Softimage were all interested.
But the founder had made a strategic error right at the start; She decided we were in the automotive design technology business. Autodesk could see how useful our technology would be in games, that’s why they were interested and over time most of us realized we were targeting the wrong industry but the CEO’s vision for her company was in the car industry.
Over on Copyblogger Briam Clark has a great article on the subject of jumping into the wrong lake, complete with Purple Rain reference.
One memorable scene involves Prince giving bombshell Apollonia Kotero a motorcycle ride through rural Minnesota. As he pulls up to the shoreline, Prince lets her know she has to prove herself.
“You have to purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka,” Prince says mysteriously. Then he says it again.
Next, fulfilling every teenage boy’s as yet unimagined wish, Apollonia strips down to her thong and jumps in the lake.
The freezing water provides an immediate shock. But the cruel surprise comes from a half-apologetic Prince.
“That ain’t Lake Minnetonka.”
via Copyblogger
Jumping into the wrong lake is easy to do when you are a startup. I think the trick is to keep reevaluating your product, the industry you serve and what it is you really do for them.
For us, starting in the automotive industry was not a critical mistake.. What killed the company was staying there.
[...] colleague of mine that made me think about how important focus is. For background – see Don’t Die in the Wrong Lake by themadepeacock. He describes a scenario where his former employer was so focused on one [...]
I had to jump on the bandwagon here with a related post on my site. This is a topic that has been floating around in my head for quite some time and thank you for being the catalyst that brought it out in writing.
I think the key message that both of us are trying to convey is that there is good focus, and there is bad focus. Make sure that you focus appropriately or you will be in trouble!
Thanks winethinker, your point on good focus is correct.
But that brings up another question. How do you find your core? The thing that you never change for fear of breaking the company.
A CEO that I am growing to really respect recently said to me that he is not in the “game technology business”, he is in the “helping people make games business”.
How do companies that are VC backed, perhaps on their second, third or forth leadership team find their core?