The Meat and Potatoes
The Journey or the Destination?
I read a great post today on Ask the Wizard (via 37signals) regarding the lack of a need for a business model when starting a new project. This is the type of thinking that anyone who wants to build a successful product should consider. Everyone would love to make money with their product, but the truly great products are ones that are created for the journey (the creation of something great), and not for the destination (the big “payout”). I would even go so far as to say that focusing on making money at the beginning is as fatal a blunder as focusing on getting bought. If making money is your primary focus, your product will be at the mercy of those supplying the dollars. It may sound crazy, but a good product and a profitable product are not always one in the same. Just look at Microsoft Office. Personally I’d consider myself more successful having a great product making $10,000/month, versus a crappy one making $20,000/month. Ask yourself…if this product never makes a dime, will it have been worth it? If the answer is yes, you’re golden. If the answer is no, you may want to reconsider.