Startup Advice

The early days are exciting. Customers are seen and heard and served. Variations are created and value is produced as problems are solved.

In the early days, the most celebrated employees are the ones who figure out what someone needs and then determines a way to fill that need.

Once the organization gains traction, it’s possible that a short-term profit maximizer will join the team. They push to treat the customers as replaceable flanges, almost identical, income opportunities to be processed. And the employees? They are expenses, not part of a team.

It can seem like the fastest way for a stable business to increase profits is simply to remove some sticks. Process more flanges with fewer expenses. Lower overhead, measure the easy stuff, do it faster.

We spend too much time dealing with shaky towers. The resilience of people connecting, of organizations evolving, of service and clarity and generative work is far too important to be threatened by a few hustlers who insist on measuring the wrong thing.

The truth is that if we stop doing chores, we have to do real work instead. The things that aren’t repeatable or proven. The things that are emotionally difficult, creatively challenging or simply requiring exploration and guts to pursue. If we succeed at this work, there will be plenty of money to pay to get the chores done.

Doing chores cheerfully and with skill is a fine hobby. But it might not be what you need to do right now.

Jason Fried on Lenny Rachitsky’s podcast