Merlin Speaks…Start Up Listens?

Great post from Merlin Mann which I think outlines a lot of what it takes to be a successful early stage start up (or at the very least one that makes it beyond early stage!)

# Ideas are like assholes and blogs; everyone has at least one. And the cost of ownership for an idea is nil.

# Who will this product delight? Why does it delight them more than any other thing in their world today?

# What stops Google from replicating your idea — at full scale and with a huge installed base — over a long weekend?

# Who is the auteur here? Who in your organization gets to tell everyone else to shut up and follow his or her quirky vision and ridiculous obsessions? These obsessions matter.

# Who’s the proven sergeant-at-arms in your group? Does this person have a demonstrated track record for ensuring that everyone else in the group is executing flawlessly on the auteur’s vision?

# What will everyone involved give up to become awesome? Alternately, how will you know when this project has failed and should be euthanized?

Ideas, Execution, and the Rare Auteur | 43 Folders.

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