Jesus on Startups
A farmer went out to sow his seed.
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown
Matthew 13, verses 3-8
I once did a degree in Religious Studies. Not exactly a vocational degree. I had no idea my life would lead to working with tech startups.
I thought of the parable of the sower today and how it does relate to tech startups.
The birds? Some great ideas take hold, some won't. Luck plays a part in putting down roots.
The thorns - that's those competitors who have an advantage. (Lesson - have an unfair advantage yourself).
The depth richness of the soil is a great metaphor for understanding your customers and your market opportunity. Customer discovery is a great way to choose the best soil.
Both Nic and I both blogged about the importance of customer discovery yesterday;
We're working on farming a good crop.