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School of Hard Knocks
Sam Cece Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
April 28, 2008
The New, New Thing or The Same, New Thing?
Innovation or iteration? I’m sure that most of you have heard the phrase, “The New, New Thing.” If not, it’s one of those Silicon Valley phrases that is typically asked by an investor, most likely a VC, that is intended to make you stop and think about your company’s next move. Plainly stated, it means, “What new technological (or market, business model, adjacent technology, etc.) innovation is on deck within your company that will leap-frog your competitors and propel your company into the future?” This is a tough question for any CEO.
The problem with forcing “The New, New Thing” onto your organization is that these big leaps are distracting, destabilizing and unrealistic. I’m a fan of iteration—the long, steady march of building something from nothing. Making good on the promise of your original business plan. The sustained, laser-sharp focus of being the best and owning your market segment—by listening to your prospects and customers closely and taking note of their needs, worries and requirements—not only now, but five years from now. Most importantly, by truly understanding your prospects' and customers' businesses—this iterative process builds on your core strengths and technology platform.
We know this first-hand here at StrongMail because our product road map is driven by our customers. They’ve asked us to build the world’s best commercial grade, on-premise solution for marketing and transactional emails.
It’s amazing what happens when you listen to what your customers want.
Posted by: Sam Cece at 1:24 PM
Categories: Business , Lessons , Silicon Valley
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