Transcription
Sometimes people ask me, Druh, how do I start a successful business? I give you five rules. I understood early that the grim mindset is the foundation of business success.
Business rule number one, stop fooling yourself. Grim means sincere. The problem is people follow their passion. But does their passion also follow people? Test and find out if what you are building is something people actually want. Bottom line, don't build something you don't love and don't build something people don't love. Test early. Test sincerely. Talk to your potential customers. See if their eyes light up. If you don't find real passion inside you and inside them, build a different product.
Business rule number two, thunder is your friend. Grim comes also from the Slavic word groan, which means thunder. Thunder does not wait for perfection. Thunder strikes. No matter if thunder hits or misses, it strikes again. Start small. Build a prototype. Ship fast. See what works. Change what doesn't. Strike again. Build the smallest usable version. Today, this is called MVP. Get this into a real user's hands. Speed and iteration beat perfection every [ __ ] day. You polish forever in secret. Competitors already took the market. Good is better than perfect. Remember that because good lets you strike.
Business rule number three. Focus on one core problem. Life is grim, harsh, cold. That's the problem. And the problem is your friend. Good startups do one thing well. They focus on one problem and solve it. Distraction kills early companies faster than competition. Filter without mercy. If your product does not solve the problem, cut it. No features, no side quests, no shiny [ __ ]. Fall in love with the problem, not with the solution.
Business rule number four, build a culture of radical honesty. Grim means earnest, serious, no games inside your team. Truth is oxygen. No politics, no egos, no hiding mistakes. Founders don't like hard conversations. Destroy their own empires. Speak direct eye to eye and always with respect, but speak honestly. Bad news now is always cheaper than bad news later.
And finally, of course, business rule number five. Keep on working, Glim. Take care of your energy. Take care of your people. Startups die when teams die and teams die when founders burn out. Sleep full. Train the body. Take silent days. Be a brother, not a colleague. And always, always keep walking. Not those people make it who are the smartest or the best connected, but those who keep walking through the fire. Together alone, you go fast, but together you go far.
Remember this, Grim. The five rules of building a business. Sincere, thunder, focus, problem, endurance. Times are grim, but in grim times, the opportunities are the biggest. Because weak people give up quicker than ever. But you are grim. You don't give up. You get up. Be honorable.