AC/DC on Startups

Do all AC/DC songs sound the same to you?

Do they only know three chords?

(Most AC/DC songs seem to rely heavily on A, G and D).

Angus Young, their lead guitarist and younger brother of band founder Malcolm was asked about this

I'm sick and tired of people saying that we put out 11 albums that sound exactly the same. In fact, we've put out 12 albums that sound exactly the same.

(NY Daily News), 2000

AC/DC are one of the best selling artists of all time with over 200 million albums sold worldwide.

Startups are in many ways like rock bands. The challenge is to create something that lots of people people want.

The story of AC/DC reminds me that focus matters. Successful startups focus on one thing and do that better than anyone else....

• WhatsApp - did messaging better than anyone else
• Facebook - did social networking better than anyone else
• Booking.com - did hotel booking better than anyone else
• Netflix - did on demand movies better than anyone else
• Amazon - did online book selling better than anyone else
• JustEat - did online takeaway ordering better than anyone else
• Skype - did VOIP better than anyome else
• Paypal - did online payments better than anyone else

Focus is all about deciding to do one thing well. It's also about deciding what not to do. If you're saying yes to every opportunity, you're not focussed.

I look for startups that have a really clear focus on the problem they are trying to solve and who I believe will succeed in being the best team to solve that problem.

Success is not just about having a good idea. It's being able to work relentlessly hard to be the better than anyone else.

No-one else in the world can play A, D and G like Malcolm and Angus Young.

What will you do better than anyone else?